Inside Haven
by sunsetsoverwater
Summary: A challenge between my beta and I to produce 2-3 drabbles (or one-shots depending on how you look at it) per week from now until the Season 5 hiatus is over. I'll be accepting prompts in the comments, so feel free to prompt away.
1. Audrey Parker Jealous

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes.

**Author's Notes: **So, this is Drabble One in the challenge my beta and I created. I'll be publishing 2-3 drabbles a week until the end of Season 5 hiatus. My beta and I are always looking for new prompts, so feel free to put some in the comments! I'll do as many as I can.

This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Summary: **Jealousy is not a color Audrey Parker is used to wearing.

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><p><strong>Audrey Parker. Jealous.<strong>

She was jealous. Plain and simple, jealous. She, Audrey Parker, was jealous.

Audrey picked up her bottle of beer and took another swallow as she watched her partner sit at a corner table in the Grey Gull. The plan had been for the two of them to have dinner together, but when she ended up being a few minutes late because her hair would _not _sit right, and she had finally given up and tied it back in a ponytail, she walked into the Gull only to see Nathan sitting at a table with three women she had never seen before.

When Audrey had finally convinced herself to just go over and interrupt, he laughed (laughed!) at something one of the women had said, she quickly changed her direction to go towards the bar instead. Thank god Duke wasn't in tonight. She didn't even care where he was. She was just happy he wasn't here, because if he was, all she would hear was his constant needling that she was jealous and just needed to get over there. But she already knew that. She didn't need him there to confirm it. Although, had he been here, maybe he would have distracted the women so they wouldn't have been with Nathan. Or, at the very least, would have given _her _someone to talk to. The bartender on duty tonight just wasn't interesting to her.

But he wasn't here, so instead, she sat, slightly hidden by the other patrons in the place, fully observing every movement her partner made. When she finished her second beer, she glanced down at her watch and realized that over an hour had passed, and it hurt her heart a little to realize that _technically _she was now over an hour late for meeting Nathan, and he was so involved in talking to the three women that he hadn't even realized that Audrey hadn't shown yet, and he had made no move to see where she was. Yup, it hurt. And she was jealous that these three women had so captured his attention that even she didn't matter anymore.

It wasn't like he was hers or anything. They had only known each other a few months, and even though she was pretty sure they both knew something was between them, neither had made a move to do anything about it. But still, on some level he was hers, and that made her infinitely jealous of the three women that made him smile that smile she always thought had been reserved for her.

And it didn't help that all three women had bigger boobs than she did, and all of them had hair that she would kill for. None of them seemed to have had problems with their hair that evening as they all hung in soft curls that would take Audrey hours to accomplish. Their makeup was impeccable, and their sense of style was definitely a few levels higher than her own. What on earth did they do for a living to afford clothes like that?

Audrey scratched her thigh, and when her nail dragged across something crusty, she looked down and realized she had some dried mud on her pants from the case she had worked earlier in the day. Dammit. She should have paid more attention to her clothes apparently, as well. Maybe that's why Nathan was spending so much time with the other women. They didn't have remnants of their day job stuck to them.

She was tempted to have a third beer, but stopped herself, realizing she could just slink out of the Gull and go upstairs to continue drinking, and it would be a hell of a lot cheaper, and much less degrading. Audrey signaled the bartender, and pulled out some money to cover her drinks. She stood up, and looked over to Nathan, planning on feeding her jealousy one last time before going up to drink herself silly, but of course, her evening couldn't just end on a bad note. Nope, as she looked over, Nathan looked up and locked eyes with her. He smiled and beckoned her over.

She shook her head as the women looked around to see who their conquest was signaling, but he beckoned again, so she sighed deeply, and started walking over. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck, and she was already feeling about two feet tall in comparison to the women she was walking towards as she made her way across the Gull.

She was about five feet away from the table when her toe caught a loose board in the floor. As the ground rushed up towards her, all she could think was that this would definitely be ranked as one of the worst days of her life.

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><p>Audrey sat up in bed with a start.<p>

"Parker, what's wrong?" His voice was groggy from being dragged from sleep.

Audrey looked over at Nathan lying in her bed beside her and immediately her heart began to slow. She settled down next to him, wrapping her arms around his bare torso.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream. Everything is ok now."

She could feel Nathan pull her close, and she silently thanked god that it was only a dream. Audrey Parker never got jealous.


	2. The World Never Swallows You When You Ne

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies. This went through only a basic beta, so all mistakes found within are purely my own.

Thank you all who have submitted prompts already! They're all fantastic, and I'm working on them in the order in which I receive them. Keep them coming!

**Prompt: **Jess comes back to town after Nathan and Audrey get together (Courtesy of Doks)

**Summary: **What do you do when your old flame comes back to town?

* * *

><p><strong>The World Never Swallows You When You Need it to<strong>

Nathan flattened himself against the side of the building and silently prayed that Audrey would suddenly take an eternity in the store. But as he heard her boots scuff on the stair next to him, he closed his eyes and swore. Why did he have to date a woman that could finish shopping in the blink of an eye?

"Are you ready to go?" Audrey grabbed Nathan's hand, and started pulling him down the street, but his immobility stopped her forward momentum. She looked back at him with a question in her eyes.

Nathan gestured with his head in the opposite direction and tugged on Audrey's hand. "Why don't we go this way?"

Audrey narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you? We just came from there, and we need to go this way to get to the market. You know yourself you'll only eat the apples from there."

"I'm ok with the apples from the grocery store. Let's go." He tugged her hand again, but he knew he had lost. This was going to be it. This was going to be the moment he wished that the Chief's Trouble would suddenly emerge, opening a crack below him, so he could be swallowed up and therefore avoid his very near future.

"You're a strange man sometimes." Audrey shook her head and dropped Nathan's hand so she could round the building on the way to the market.

When she walked the few steps to the corner and turned towards the market, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around, and walked back to Nathan. This was it. This was the moment he wanted to be swallowed up.

"Did you know that Jess is back in town?"

He didn't know why he was so uncomfortable, he was with Audrey of all people, but that was Jess just strides away from them – the one other woman he genuinely recently had feelings for. One could argue he did for Jordan as well, but he had chalked that up to the pressure of the situation, and nothing more. Nathan looked at Audrey, and realized he still hadn't answered her. He didn't know what to say, so he reverted back to his safety net – saying nothing at all, so he just shook his head.

"I'm not even really sure what to do here."

Nathan wanted to chuckle at Audrey, but he felt pretty much the same way.

"Nathan!" Jess' voice suddenly broke the air of silence, and made Nathan startle a little.

Nope, this was the moment he wanted to be swallowed up. Thankfully Audrey recovered for him.

"Jess! It's so nice to see you! Have you moved back to Haven?"

Nathan kept his eyes firmly locked on the ground in front of him but peeked up once to look at Jess, and of course, that was the exact moment she looked to him, and they locked eyes. He gave her a sheepish smile and then couldn't figure out where he should look, but he knew that Jess was keeping an eye on him.

"Uh, no. Not quite anyways. I was driving in the area, and thought to stop in for the market. Maybe check out the area again."

Audrey felt like she could literally cut the tension in the air with a knife it was so thick. It didn't help that tension was radiating off of her as well. And it definitely didn't help that Jess kept glancing at Nathan, who had suddenly determined that the ground was the most interesting thing in the world. "Wow, that's so great." Audrey elbowed Nathan in the ribs. "Isn't that great Nathan?"

"Huh? Yeah, that's great. It's great to see you Jess. Um, how have you been?" If he could feel it, Nathan was pretty sure he was leaving bruises on his own neck as he rubbed the back of it.

"Good. I've been good. You?"

"Uh, you know. The usual. Troubles and all."

"Yeah."

Audrey looked between the two of them and knew she had to step in. The awkwardness was incredible. So much like when those two had first met, but even worse this time. "Well, hey, Jess, it was great to see you, but Nathan here and I have some business we have to attend to."

Jess looked at Nathan one more time and nodded before looking back to Audrey. "Oh, yes, of course. It was good to see you Nathan. Audrey." And with that, she walked by them, and continued down the street.

Once she was half a block away, and out of earshot, Audrey turned and punched Nathan in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" Nathan rubbed his arm. He hated admitting that her punches hurt, but when he couldn't feel anything, any touch she gave him was more intense than normal. Even punches.

"For being a dumbass."

"What?"

Audrey put her hands on her hips. "Come on Nathan. That was Jess."

"Yeah, and?"

"Aannnd, you turned into Mr. Monosyllabic." She turned her head away from him and dropped her voice a bit. "And you didn't say anything about us."

It was almost as if she had punched him again, but it did the trick to snap Nathan out of his dreams of being swallowed whole. He put his hands on both her arms, and tilted his head down so that it was closer to her eye level. "Parker. I'm sorry. I would have said something, but, I was just thrown seeing her. Besides, it sounded like she was only in town for the day."

Audrey sighed, the slight feeling of anxiousness leaving her. "You're right. But, if you see her again, you better tell her. For me."

Nathan had to smile. Audrey was jealous. "Promise." He grabbed her hand and together they walked towards the market.

* * *

><p>Nathan was tapping a pen against his forehead in a vain attempt to get his thoughts to focus on the paperwork in front of him, but Audrey's perfume today was driving him nuts. He looked over at her and his thoughts started drifting to other things he'd like to be doing with her today, when he noticed her eyes flick up to the door. She stood up quickly and said something about going to get coffee, and he realized that someone was standing in the doorway. He looked over to see Jess standing there holding a box in her hands. She stepped out of the way of Audrey, and only nodded at her as she passed.<p>

This could also be the moment that being swallowed whole would be a blessing.

"Jess." Nathan stood up, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Jess moved into the room and stood at the edge of Nathan's desk. "I'm heading home today, and I wanted to see you before I left. Our last interaction was…awkward."

Nathan licked his lips. "Yeah." Damn, Audrey was right. He was turning back into Mr. Monosyllabic. He needed to change that. "Uh, I was just surprised to see you."

A slight smile crossed Jess' lips. "It was a good surprise though. To be honest, I had been kind of hoping I would run into you." She held out the box she was holding towards Nathan. "I wanted to bring you kind of a peace offering. And…I'm not leaving until later this afternoon. Maybe we could have lunch?"

Nathan looked down at the box in front of him and felt dread creeping through his veins. He hated disappointing people. He just couldn't do it. But he had made a promise to Audrey, and she was the one person he _never _wanted to disappoint, so he took a deep breath, and went for it. "Jess, it was really great to see you. It really was. But…I'm with Audrey." He ran his fingers through his hair and swore he could feel the cold sweat of anxiety.

Jess pulled the box back towards her and looked at the floor. "Oh. It always was Audrey, wasn't it."

Words weren't going to help him here, so Nathan merely nodded.

Jess looked back up at him. "I should have known…It was…good seeing you Nathan." And with that, she turned and walked out of the office.

As soon as she left, Nathan collapsed in his chair and put his head in his hands, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt horrible, but it had to be done - he had made a promise, and no matter how awkward the situation had been, he had kept the promise. Minutes later, he was so deep in his thoughts that her hand on his back made him start.

"I'm proud of you, you know. And thank you." Audrey leaned down to give Nathan a quick kiss, and then stood up and walked back to her desk, coffee in hand.

Nathan watched her as she lost herself in work, and realized that he never wanted the world to swallow him up. He just wanted to be with her always.


	3. He's Back

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies. This went through only a basic beta, so all mistakes found within are purely my own.

Thank you all who have submitted prompts already! They're all fantastic, and I'm working on them in the order in which I receive them. Keep them coming!

Just FYI, I'm going to count this as a Monday post even though I'm posting late Sunday because I'm not sure I'll have Internet access tomorrow. I'll update "Another Life" on Tuesday.

**Prompt: **Chris Brody returns to town (Courtesy of my beta, who asked for this when we first started this challenge, and also Peacockgirl. So since I had two requests for this, my beta gave me another Chris Brody prompt that I'll post probably later this week.)

**Summary: **Nathan hated the guy. But he was back, and something had to be done.

* * *

><p><strong>He's Back.<strong>

After scanning the room at the Gull, Nathan suddenly realized that he was feeling happier than usual. She must be in the room somewhere and his subconscious saw her, so he did another sweep of the room, but still didn't see his familiar blond. But again, he felt happiness bubbling up through his mind. But why? It only took a few more moments for realization to hit, and it sent a chill down his spine. The only other person other than Audrey that could evoke those giddy feelings from him was his arch nemesis. And after another quick scan of the room, he realized that there was a larger than normal gathering of people in one area of the room, and sitting at the head of the table, was none other than Chris Brody. What a great guy. It couldn't hurt to go over and say hi. I mean, he's back in town, and who would want to miss talking to him?

Wait.

Nathan shook his head and looked towards the rafters, taking a long pull on his beer.

"Is there a naked picture of me up there or something?"

Now that's the voice that should be making him feel happy. He pulled his gaze from the ceiling, and twisted on his barstool to see her smirking at him. He grinned back and pulled her towards him so that she stood between his legs, and had her hands on his shoulders. "I was thinking that maybe we should go somewhere else for dinner tonight."

"Really? Why? We're already here, and it's getting late. And besides, this way we can have as much to drink as we'd like."

When she raised an eyebrow and a mischievous glint flashed through her eyes, Nathan immediately forgot about leaving. His hands were already on her hips, and at her words, he rubbed his hands up and down her sides. Maybe if they got a table outside, they could avoid an uncomfortable situation, and would allow for them to have as many beers as they wanted. She sat on his leg and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she signaled for a beer, and he snaked his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "Let's get a table outside. It's nice out this evening."

Audrey turned to look down at Nathan. "What's wrong with you tonight? Why do you suddenly not want to be here?"

Nathan looked at her, and was about to speak when he saw her gaze shift to the area behind him, and he silently prayed she wouldn't make the connection and he could get her out. She stood up, and he tried tugging her wrists so that she'd sit back down again, but she was standing up on her tiptoes, trying to get that extra fraction of an inch in height to better see what the commotion was all about. Nope, she was going to make the connection.

"Hey, what's with all the people over there, do you have any…"

Her fingers tightened on his shoulders that she had been using to give herself extra leverage. Yup, she made the connection.

"Are you sure you don't want to get a table outside?"

She looked down at him and Nathan could see the indecisiveness flash across her eyes, and could almost hear the gears turning in her head.

After another squeeze of his shoulders, she sighed, and dropped back to the flats of her feet. "I might as well go say hi. We'll run into each other sooner or later."

Nathan grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Parker, you don't have to. We can just head outside. If he sees us, great. If not, even better."

She shook her head. "No, I might as well get this over and done with, rather than constantly wonder when I'll run into him. Why don't you head outside and get us a table, and I'll meet you out there soon." Audrey saw his eyes narrow in annoyance of the situation, so she framed his face, and leaned down to kiss him. "Don't worry Nathan. I'll be out soon."

Nathan sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I really don't like that guy."

"Now, now. We both know in the right situation, you can't resist him." Audrey pulled back and chuckled, and threw one last look over her shoulder at Nathan.

As she walked towards the crowd in the back, Audrey took a deep breath, pushing it out of her mouth. She needed to stay calm, see what was what, and then get the hell out of there. When she made eye contact with Chris, she silently cursed herself for not listening to Nathan's suggestion of just going straight outside to a table. Or, the even better suggestion of going somewhere else. "You're back."

Chris looked at the people surrounding his table. "Can you all go enjoy your dinners elsewhere now? My guest has arrived."

Audrey could feel the mix of glares and shots of envy she was given as the small group mumbled their goodbyes to Chris, and she took the chair he pulled out for her. "So you were waiting for me?"

"As much as I don't want to inflate your ego, I do have to admit that I came here assuming you would walk in at some point. You do live upstairs after all." He reached across the table to take her hands in his.

As soon as his hands touched hers, Audrey immediately pulled back and could see the quick flash of shock in his eyes. Maybe hurt. "Chris…"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's been awhile, but I was just hoping…" He leaned back in his seat, holding his hands up at his sides and grinned, looking around the bar. "As much as I think about how much I enjoy the fact that you don't love me, I always seem to forget that you don't love me as soon as you see me."

Audrey knew without even looking around that each person he had made eye contact with when his eyes had swept the place were now swooning, when all she could feel was a knot in her stomach. "Why are you back in town?"

Chris pushed back towards the table and leaned over it to get closer to her. "This is my home town Audrey. Sometimes people come back."

"So you're planning on staying?"

Chris shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on if I have a reason to or not."

Audrey shook her head. "I hope you're not planning on that reason being me."

"Always such an ego. Not everything is about you Audrey." Chris once again leaned back in his chair and smiled. He brought his beer bottle up to his lips, never breaking eye contact with Audrey.

"Well, I'm happy you feel that way Chris." Audrey pushed herself up from the table. This wasn't going anywhere, not that she wanted it to anyways, but she had put in her time, and it was now time to get back to where she wanted to be. "It was nice seeing you again. I'm sure we'll run into each other at some point."

"Audrey, wait." Chris put the bottle back on the table, and reached out to grab Audrey's arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." He grinned at her again, trying to get past her defenses. "Can we start over?"

Audrey pulled her arm away, and took a step back. "You know what, I'm just going to head out. You have a great evening. I'll see you around." And with that, she turned and headed towards the side door that led out to the patio. As she stepped outside, she immediately saw Nathan sitting by the fire pit, and the knot in her stomach loosened.

He stood up as she neared, and pulled her into his arms. "You ok?"

Audrey looked up at Nathan and smiled. "I am now."

Nathan turned Audrey around in his arms so that she could settle in the seat closest to the fire. The air had turned a little cool, and it wasn't like he would notice it, so he wanted to make sure she was comfortable. They had perfect timing, because as soon as they sat down, the waitress arrived with the beers, burgers, and wings he had ordered for them.

Audrey raised an eyebrow when the waitress was putting down their food. "What, you trying to fatten me up or something?"

Once the waitress had left, Nathan leaned in to peck her on the lips. "Can't have other guys looking at my girl like I know they do."

Audrey smiled against his lips and then leaned back to pick up one of the wings she loved so much. Thank god they were only offered one night a week. Otherwise she _would _be fattening up.

They ate in companionable silence, content to listen to the voices wafting over from the dining room and to the pops of the wood in the fire pit. Audrey was finishing up her burger when she heard boots scuffling on the patio headed in her direction. She looked up, and wasn't happy. "Chris." She put her hand on Nathan's thigh as she stood up, silently directing him to keep facing forward and walked towards Chris, stopping next to Nathan, resting her hand on his shoulder.

Chris stood there with his hands in his pockets, but flicked his eyes to the man that Audrey was touching. "Uh, well, I was going to come out here and apologize and see if I could take you out to dinner tomorrow to make up for it, but I see that I'm too late."

Audrey could feel Nathan tense under her hand, so she reassuringly squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks Chris, but I'm going to have to decline. It really was good to see you though."

Chris nodded once and turned to walk away. "See you around Audrey. Nathan." And with that, he walked off to the parking lot, veering around several admirers.

Audrey let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, and ineloquently squeaked when Nathan pulled her down into his lap. She draped her arms over his shoulders and touched foreheads with him. "You seem pretty sure of yourself all of a sudden. Is this a guy thing?"

"I did just have the hottest girl in the building basically tell another guy that she was taken by me. I won."

Audrey snorted and shook her head. "I think you owe me another beer then Nathan."

Nathan looked up and caught the eye of their waitress and signaled for another round. "Anything for you."


	4. The Magic of Firelight

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

This has only gone through a light beta since I'm inundating my beta with chapters from Another Life, so any errors that you find are purely mine.

Thank you all who have submitted prompts already! They're all fantastic, and I'm working on them in the order in which I receive them. Keep them coming!

Yay! An earlier than Friday update!

**Prompt: **How Nathan proposes to Audrey (Courtesy of Guest)

**Summary: **Nathan was ready to propose to Audrey – he just needed the right moment.

* * *

><p><strong>The Magic of Firelight<strong>

If he was going to be honest with himself, Nathan had come up with hundreds of ways he wanted to propose to Audrey. Thousands. He thought of everything from the mundane, to the fantastic. So, of course, when the day actually came – when the moment arrived, he ended up doing exactly none of the ways he had thought of.

He had bought the ring for her just days after Charlotte "saved" her. It seemed like every time he had gotten Audrey back, something had ripped her away weeks, or even days later. He was exhausted. And so this time when he got her back – when it was truly Audrey who was back - he had excused himself from work one day, and had driven into the city to buy a ring. He wanted her to be _his. _

He would have bought a ring in Haven, but he knew that as soon as he walked out the door with ring in hand, the gossip train would have beaten him back to her, and she would have known. And that was _definitely _not the way he wanted to propose to her. He had originally thought of proposing with the ring he wore around his neck, but deep down he knew that while she would have loved that, she would want something that was truly hers – not something that some former self of hers had had.

And since that day, Nathan had carried the ring on him. He wanted to ask her the first moment he saw her when he got back from the city, but he knew that he was just riding high on adrenaline, so decided to wait for a few days. But then the newly activated Troubles began wreaking even more havoc on the town than they had been, and he and Audrey barely had any alone time with each other, other than crashing into bed to sleep. They would have even done that in shifts, but he refused to let her out of his sight if it was at all possible.

But then, finally, _finally _they had caught a break – they had started to get ahead of the Troubles, and they had taken a night off. One where they actually left the station and did something other than go straight to his house or hers to sleep. It was heading into the fall season in Haven, which meant warm days and cooler evenings, and since they had spent so much of their time trapped inside the station, as soon as they had finished their meal at the Gull, Audrey had suggested to Nathan that they sit outside by the fire. There was only one seat available, but Nathan nodded. There was something magical about looking through the firelight to the ocean waters beyond.

"How do you want to do this?" Audrey stared at the only empty chair, and scanned the area for another one she could drag over. Everyone already there seemed to be deep in their own conversations and in no hurry to leave, so it would be awhile before another seat opened up.

"Hmm, I think we can manage." Nathan sat down on the chair, and took Audrey's hand in his, tugging her down to his lap. "I'd rather keep you close anyways."

Audrey smiled and sighed in contentment, wrapping her arms around Nathan's neck as she settled onto his lap. When she felt his arms encircle her waist, she dropped her head to his shoulder, and twisted so she could look out over the water. She was so tired, but here she felt content. She felt safe.

It seemed like an unspoken rule of the people around the fire that this was a time to be quiet, and so even those chatting, were doing it at such a volume level that it was difficult to hear what they were saying, allowing for the lapping of the water on the dock to be heard.

She could feel herself starting to drift off to sleep as the fire and Nathan warmed her, and his steady breathing lifted her up and down on his body. When she felt her eyes drifting shut, she shifted slightly so that she was leaning against Nathan's chest, and could hold her hands out towards the fire to warm them.

The whole time they had been out there, sleep had been threatening to overtake Nathan, and he had to mentally slap himself a few times to keep awake. It was just so nice to finally be sitting there with Audrey in a quiet moment. Who knew how long it would last, so he wanted to just enjoy it. But when she shifted against him and held her hands up for extra warmth, he was just struck by the sight of her narrow fingers being illuminated by the flames of the fire. She was so beautiful.

And he felt his heart skip a beat. This was it. This was the moment. He shifted ever so slightly so that he could reach the ring in his pocket, and then settled back down. Audrey had just moved with him, and suspected nothing. She just kept staring into the hypnotic dance of the flames.

Nathan reached around her, and his longer arms easily allowed his hands to grasp hers. He first grasped her right hand, and threaded his fingers through hers, smiling as he felt her squeeze his in affection. He then moved his left to cover her view of her own hand, and deftly dropped the ring on her ring finger, pushing it down into its rightful place before pulling his hand away to place on her left hip. He watched as she held her hand out in front of her, twisting it slightly to see the light from the fire glint off of the diamond in a flurry of color. And then she turned to him.

"Nathan."

Her breathy voice did him in every time. She saved it just for him, and it drove him wild. He leaned his forehead against hers, and looked deep into her eyes. "I want you with me always Parker. I never want to be apart from you again." Nathan could see tears welling up in her eyes, and he swallowed hard, wondering if there were tears building in his as well.

"I never want to be apart from you again either." Audrey couldn't keep her voice above a whisper at this point, even if she tried. The emotions running through her body could not be described, but she knew with every fiber in her body that this was exactly what she wanted.

"So does that mean you'll marry me? You'll be mine?"

"Nathan, I'll always be yours." And with that, Audrey framed Nathan's face, and pulled him into a deep kiss - tingles shooting through her body as she felt him grip her hips tightly to hold her close.

And Nathan finally knew, she was _his._


	5. But, it's for Charity!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

This has only gone through a light beta, so any errors that you find are purely mine.

Thank you all who have submitted prompts already and for your wonderful reviews! I'm having so much fun coming up with stories for each prompt. I'm working through the prompts in the order in which I receive them, so keep them coming!

**Prompt:** Duke's putting together a Haven PD Calendar for Charity (Courtesy of my beta)

**Summary: **Puppies, calendars, and Duke. There's got to be something more to this.

* * *

><p><strong>But, it's for Charity!<strong>

"No."

"Nathan, come on. It's for charity!"

"Still no."

"Audrey, some help here?"

Audrey didn't even look up from the paperwork she was filling out on her desk, but she shook her head and waved a pen wielding hand in the air. "Oh no. Nuh uh. I am not getting involved in this. You two can figure it out."

"Nathan, come on! It's for the puppies. The puppies! How can you say no to puppies?"

Nathan looked at Duke and sighed. "Duke. We are not doing a Haven PD calendar. Even if it is for puppies." He shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you doing this again?"

Duke leaned back in his chair and raised his hands up in a mock surrender pose. "I'm just a concerned citizen, who wants to ensure the Haven Rescue Center has ample funds to cover their costs for the next year. And, I think it would be fantastic for the Haven Police Department to show their support for their fellow Havenites."

Nathan propped his elbows on his desk, crossed his fingers and narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe that for a second. What makes you think you'd be able to sell a calendar like that anyways?"

Duke leaned forward in a conspiratory position. "Come on Nathan, you don't think the fine female officers of the Haven PD couldn't sell some calendars?" He dropped his voice down a couple levels so that only Nathan would hear. "And tell me you don't want to see Audrey in one of these pictures."

"She will never be in any pictures you're thinking of." Nathan gritted his teeth and willed himself to not lean across the desk and punch Duke.

Duke leaned back and grinned, and turned his head so he was talking over his shoulder. "You really going to let your boyfriend talk for you about these things Audrey?"

Audrey still refused to look up from her paperwork, but resigned herself to answering. "I'm still not getting involved in this, but yes, about things like this, he is more than welcome to talk for me."

Nathan's face lit up in a smile. "Is there anything else I can do for you Duke? If not, I think you found your answer."

Duke shook his head and looked back towards Nathan. "Nathan, come on. This is actually important."

Nathan rubbed a hand over his face. "There has got to be a good reason for you wanting to do this, and please don't tell me again it's because you're an upstanding citizen, because we both know that's not the case."

"How about, because it's the right thing to do?"

"No. And I'm not wasting department resources on something like this unless you can tell me why exactly you're doing this."

Duke held up a finger, and looked slightly down as though he were in thought. "How about this. How about I spend the time interviewing your fine officers to see who's willing to volunteer to be photographed, and then Dave and I will work after hours on the photo shoots."

"Nathan, for god's sake, just let him do this."

Duke looked at Nathan and smiled. "Thank you for your support on this Audrey."

Audrey put her hands down on her desk in frustration and finally looked at the two boys in her office as she blew a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "I support no one, or nothing. I just need you to leave because some of us have paperwork to finish, which is really difficult to do when there is a constant bickering going on."

Both Duke and Nathan stared at her for a beat, but it was Duke who recovered the quickest. He stood up, and gestured towards the door. "Well, with that, I'm off to interview some of Haven's finest." Duke gave a thumb's up to Audrey who responded with an eye roll, and walked out the door.

Nathan watched Duke leave the office, and could see him grab Officer Rafferty's elbow and lead her down the back hallway. He could only shake his head and sigh. This was going to be an ordeal. He looked over to Audrey, who once again had her head buried in paperwork. "This is all on you, you know."

Once again, Audrey refused to look up. "Nope, sorry, not getting involved."

Nathan had to chuckle, and went back to his paperwork.

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"Nathan, come on, it's the group shot. You have to be in it."

"Still no."

Duke sighed. "Audrey?"

Audrey was squatting on the floor, grinning like a fool as she tried to keep her face away from an overly excited dog, who was fully intent on licking every inch of her face. "You told me to get him down here. I did that. The rest is on you."

Despite Nathan's misgivings, Duke had spent the past few weeks convincing various members of the Haven Police Department to volunteer to take a picture for the Haven PD calendar he was working on. As far as Nathan knew, everything was kept strictly G rated, but he had a sneaking suspicion that if he ever searched Duke's boat, he would find a few photo shoots of some of the female officers that would definitely fall into the R rated category. But, in all honesty, he didn't care. The only female officer he truly cared about had only agreed to one photo shoot – the one he was currently observing – and the steamiest thing she was involved in was with an overly excited dog at the moment.

Nathan looked around the Rescue Center and had to admit that Duke and Dave had created a pretty great set up. They had made sure all the dogs had new haircuts and were freshly washed, and had set up a nice area in the green belt that the Center used to run the dogs during the day. It was a Saturday, so all of his officers that were in attendance were off-duty, including him and Audrey, but he still couldn't figure out how Duke had managed to get everyone here. Maybe everyone really was more concerned about the town than he was. Each officer had "adopted" a dog, and would be posing with that dog in the final shot for the calendar, in a full group photo. The last thing Nathan had wanted to do on a Saturday was to come to this, but Audrey had dragged him there, and he just couldn't say no to her.

"Fine, be a party pooper. You can be credited as 'absent' in the liner notes." Duke turned away from Nathan and started directing each officer and their dog to the green belt. Nathan stood back and watched the chaos as dogs tried to break free to play, and officers tried to drag them back to the photo area. His gaze however always shifted back to his favorite officer, and marveled at how she was able to control her dog. As she sat waiting for everyone else to gather, she looked up at him, making eye contact, and smiled. Nathan would never get over the warm feeling he felt whenever she did that.

"Ok everyone! Let's do this!" Duke yelled to the crowd, and everyone started posing. It really did look like a wonderful picture, and Nathan was suddenly curious as to how the others looked. He even briefly considered that maybe Duke was in fact doing this simply for the good of the community. Stranger things had definitely happened before.

Dave began snapping images, and had to pause to change rolls of film in his camera. As he was doing so, Audrey beckoned Nathan over. He of course, shook his head, but she waved him over again. Nathan sighed, but moved in her direction. A few pictures wouldn't hurt. And besides, they probably wouldn't even end up choosing one of the ones he was in. They would have so many to choose from, that the chances of his being chosen were slim to none.

Nathan settled on the ground next to Audrey, and felt her bump him with her elbow. He looked over at her and smiled, and then put his hand on the head of Audrey's dog, scratching his ears as the camera flashed in front of him.

Dave soon waved at all of them, saying he had the perfect shots, and was thanking them all for their time. All of the officers started moving away, but Audrey leaned into Nathan. "Thanks for finally doing this."

Nathan put his arm around Audrey's shoulders and pulled her into him, kissing her forehead. He looked at the dog whose leash she was holding and sighed. "One of these days we'll have to get a dog for you."

Audrey smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'd like that."

They were pulled apart from each other however, by one of the most grating voices Nathan could think of. Duke. "Nathan, so, if you've reconsidered that photo shoot with Audrey, I'd be more than happy to help out…"

Even Audrey had to sigh. "Duke, come on." She stood up, and tugged on the leash of her dog and went up to give him a hug. "Thanks for inviting me to this. I'm actually looking forward to seeing the final product."

* * *

><p>"Thank you for helping with this Audrey."<p>

"Thank you for the cupcakes." Audrey bit into a cupcake while she sat with Duke at a table at the local farmer's market. He had asked her to help sell the Haven PD calendars, and while she was reluctant, the bribe helped. "I'm actually surprised at how many we're selling." After licking her fingers of frosting, she flipped through one of the calendars, grinning at the various officers posing with dogs from the Rescue Center. She was pretty sure the image of Stan with an Afghan hound was her favorite. The two were companionable in their lankiness.

Duke smirked. "I'm shocked at your doubt of my talents."

Audrey shook her head while smiling. "I know you refused to tell Nathan because of what I'm assuming is male pride, but really, why did you do this?"

Duke gave a gentleman his change, and turned to Audrey. "I told you. I wanted to support the Rescue Center. Sometimes my motives are less sinister than everyone seems to believe."

Audrey looked in his eyes, and actually believed him. She leaned into him, and wrapped an arm around his waist as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I always believed you were a good guy Duke."

"Are you sure you don't want a separate photo shoot?"

Audrey pulled back and punched his arm. "Unbelievable." But she couldn't help but smile at his persistence as she helped the next person in line.


	6. Taken

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies. I'm writing this one taking place slightly after the finale of 5A.

This was a tricky one, and a little darker, but I hope you all enjoy.

**Prompt: **Now with things gone to hell in Haven some people want the creator of the troubles to be punished, even if Audrey wasn't at fault. One night a couple members of the guard kidnap Audrey, and torture her. It's up to Nathan to save her. [If done Duke/Dwight can be included if you want. IDK where you'd want to write being after the 5A finale, etc.] (Courtesy of goldenbeautys)

**Summary: **The Guard have taken Audrey, and it's up to Nathan to save her.

* * *

><p><strong>Taken<strong>

Things were bad, but this was worse. Way worse.

To be honest, Nathan wasn't entirely positive why they had spent the night in separate locations. Ever since Charlotte "saved' Audrey, they hadn't let each other out of their sight – especially with the chaos of the Troubles. He also didn't want her to leave his sight for the simple reason that it seemed like whenever he finally got her back, her return was short lived.

And the broken lamp in his office was testament to why he should never have left her out of his sight.

Nathan had been worried when Audrey hadn't texted or called him that morning, but pushed it aside. But when he entered his office, and found a CD sitting on his desk with the Guard symbol on it, a feeling of absolute dread washed over him.

He yelled out of his office for someone to pull surveillance footage of the station, and specifically his office, for the past 12 hours. Deep down however, he knew there wouldn't be anything on there. The Guard were too smart for that. And with the multitude of Troubles in town now, it wouldn't have surprised Nathan that someone had the ability to disrupt electronic equipment.

His hand shook as he put the disc in his computer, and as soon as the image flashed on screen, he knew his blood must have run cold. There, on his screen was Audrey on her knees, her head lolled forward, and her arms tied behind her back to a wooden post behind her. She was in her pajamas, which were light cotton pants, and a tiny tank top, and he could see her shivering. Memories of only a short time ago flooded Nathan's mind – memories of how cold she had been when her body was falling apart. But this was worse. Way worse. Her image then flicked off the screen, only to be replaced with the Guard symbol, and the words, "It's her fault. She must pay." And then the image went dark.

That's when the lamp had been thrown across the office to crash into the far wall.

The other officers knew to stay out of Nathan's way. Anyone who didn't come to him with some kind of helpful information would surely walk away with a broken nose. Dwight was the only one brave enough to even approach Nathan, but mostly because he was the larger of the two men.

Each hour that passed seemed like an eternity, and Nathan began to dread the chiming of each new hour. Not only did it mean one more hour that Audrey was in danger, but it meant receiving a video email from the Guard. The first email showed someone pouring a bucket of ice water over Audrey's head. Nathan watched as her body convulsed with the cold liquid, and then as she couldn't stop shivering. Wherever they were holding her was definitely a place that was open to the elements, and with her clothes now soaked through, there was no way she'd be able to get warm.

Nathan screamed at Dwight to get people checking all abandoned warehouse buildings in the area.

The next hour showed someone holding Audrey's head up by pulling on her hair. All it showed was her eyes as wide as saucers in absolute fear, and her screaming. There was never any sound, and that almost made it worse.

Nathan started threatening people at that point.

The third video showed a close up of her face, and it was obvious she was pleading with someone. For what, Nathan didn't know, but the absolute terror in her face was eating him alive. He vowed to never let her out of his sight again.

And that was when they caught a break.

One of the officers remembered a story of a family who lived without the usual modern conveniences. They had always kept up the story that they simply wanted to live off the grid, but the rumor had been it was because they were Troubled, and would destroy anything electronic near them. Nathan broke in the door – consequences be damned – and threatened the teenager who happened to be at home. The boy broke and told Nathan his brother had been involved with the Guard for some time, and an instant APB was released for the car of Jack Torres.

Nathan's phone beeped, alerting him to another email from the Guard, but he couldn't bear to watch it. He was full on sprinting towards the Bronco because a report came in as to a sighting of Jack Torres' car.

A second beep on his phone alerted Nathan to yet another email at the exact moment he drew his gun – Audrey had now been missing for approximately 8 hours. The door in front of him was locked, but he wasn't going to let that stand in his way. The lock splintered under the spray of bullets, and the door shattered as he kicked through it.

People were scattering as Nathan charged into the room, but he paid them no attention, because at the far end of the building he could see Audrey kneeling on the floor - her chin once again pressed to her chest. His legs couldn't get him there fast enough, and then he was sliding on his knees to her, pulling her close.

Audrey's body stiffened in his arms, and Nathan could hear her screaming as she struggled to break free of his grasp. He held her face in his hands and shouted at her. "Audrey! I'm here! I'm here! It's going to be ok!"

She finally stopped struggling, and Nathan reached around her to cut her hands free, her body collapsing into his as she clawed to feel him – it was like she was trying to convince herself he was real.

Nathan held her close as sobs wracked her body. He barely glanced at Dwight when he handed over a blanket to wrap Audrey in.

"They told me they had you Nathan. They showed me video of them torturing you. But I didn't know any of the information they wanted from me. I can't lose you Nathan. I was so scared."

Nathan held her close, rocking her as he stroked her hair. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "It's ok. I'm here. I'm ok. I'm never leaving your side again."

As they sat there on the dirty floor of the warehouse, Nathan knew that their fight had suddenly become much more difficult, but he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone take her from him again.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Chris Brody comes back to town during the time Audrey isn't immune to the Troubles (courtesy of my beta)


	7. The Problem of Not Being Immune

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but would technically have to have occurred between the events of Exposure and Morbitity.

This only underwent a light beta, so any mistakes found are completely my own.

I'm updating a little early since it's the Super Bowl tomorrow.

**Prompt:** Chris Brody comes back to town during the time Audrey isn't immune to the Troubles

**Summary: **An old Trouble brings a new trouble for Nathan and Audrey

* * *

><p><strong>The Problem of Not Being Immune<strong>

He was worried. Plain and simple, he was worried. He had been woken this morning by her wracking cough. It came from the chest, and it sounded like parts of her were breaking apart. He rubbed her back as she coughed, hoping it would provide some comfort, but since he couldn't feel her anymore, he couldn't tell if what he was doing was eliciting good, or bad reactions. She was sitting up in bed, leaning over, coughing into her lap, and finally just got out of bed to get some tea. He knew she was doing it out of habit rather than out of relief. Nothing seemed to relieve that cough.

And then the overall theme of her new lack of immunity was also worrying him. As much as it hurt his heart, he could deal with not being able to feel her, but now she was just as susceptible to what the Troubles brought, making her that much more vulnerable to the town. And her being sick on top of it, wasn't helping.

She had rallied herself that morning though. Somehow, she had gotten dressed, and was ready to face another day. He insisted on driving though. He did most days anyways, but today he wanted to make sure she was in his sight as much as possible.

So when she mentioned halfway through the morning that she was going to walk over to Rosemary's to buy them a mid-morning snack, he tried to stop her. She of course would hear nothing of his concerns, and headed out the door. But now, it was heading into the early afternoon, and she still hadn't returned. He tried calling her a few times, but his calls went from ringing through to voicemail, to going straight to voicemail.

When the clock above him moved to 2pm, he decided he needed to go look for her. He'd never forgive himself if he found her collapsed somewhere and had been waiting for hours for someone to come find her.

As he climbed into the Bronco, he tried calling her one more time, and one more time it went straight to voicemail, doing absolutely nothing for his worry level. He found himself tapping his fingers on the steering wheel each time he was forced to wait at a stop sign for more than a few moments. Finally, he turned on the street that held Rosemary's, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

The front of Rosemary's was absolutely packed with people, with a few turning their heads together in shushed whispers. There wasn't anywhere near to park, so he drove down a few blocks, and felt himself almost sprinting to the bakery. Thoughts of a collapsed Audrey flooded his mind, even though the rational part of his brain told him that enough people in town knew her, so if she had collapsed, she would have either been at the hospital already, or he would have been called.

He started to push his way through the crowd, but it was so thick, he couldn't make much headway, so he took another approach. He pulled out his badge, and shouted to the crowd. "Haven PD. What's going on here?"

A boy that looked to be about twelve didn't even look as he answered, but instead kept bouncing on his tiptoes to try to get a better view of the bakery. "You didn't hear? Chris Brody is back in town. Isn't that awesome? I sure hope I get to see him."

Great. One more thing to deal with. As if there wasn't enough going on this week as it was. He sighed as he began crowd control, ignoring the curse words thrown his way since he was keeping people away from Chris Brody. That must be where Audrey was. She must have run into him at the bakery, and since she's Audrey, stopped to talk to him, and just lost track of time. She was too nice for her own good sometimes.

He finally made his way up to the front of the building, and sure enough, there was Audrey sitting at a table. He couldn't see who she was with, but he had a pretty good idea. The jealous comments coming from some of the women around him also confirmed his suspicions. As his angle of the situation shifted a bit, Nathan felt a familiar twinge in his heart, and this time it hurt much more than it did the first time he felt this. Jealousy hit fast and hard, with hurt following closely behind. With the new angle, he could see that not only was Audrey sitting at a table with someone, but she was entangling her fingers with the other person in a dance that is only reserved for people who are in love with each other. It's something he had done with her countless times. And that's when confusion hit. Why would she be doing that? And with Chris Brody of all people? He couldn't decide what to do. Should he just turn and walk away - assuming she had been playing with his emotions these past few months just to keep her busy until Chris came back? Or should he run in and demand answers from her?

His heart was pounding so hard he could actually almost feel it. He raked his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. Sometimes realization hit quickly. Sometimes it took its time. For him, it was almost an attack. Audrey was no longer immune to the Troubles, which meant she would be just as enamored with Chris as everyone else was. No wonder she was still with him! He couldn't fault her for that. He had done the same thing the last time Chris was in town. Ok, this was an easy fix. All he would do, was march in there, walk straight up to her, pull her up and out the door, and never look back. She would realize her mistake, he would be able to watch that blush he loved so much creep up her neck, and then he was pretty sure she would try to make up for everything tonight. And that was a pretty good conclusion to this situation.

He took a step back towards the bakery to fulfill his plan when realization smacked him over the head. If Audrey wasn't immune anymore, sure, she would have fallen victim to Chris Brody's Trouble, but the fact that she was still there meant Chris had realized this as well, and was taking advantage of her. The last time those two had been in the same room, hadn't ended well, and a big part of it was Chris not being able to handle the fact that Audrey had been immune. Now that she wasn't, he was using it to his advantage. He was probably the one who made her turn her phone off. That son of a bitch.

New plan.

He quickly counted how many people were still in the area. This would require some tact after the fact, but it would be worth it.

He calculated where Chris would be sitting, made a mental check of where the other tables were in the bakery, and went for it. In three long strides, he was inside the bakery. One more, and with his left hand held up beside his eyes, he was looking at Audrey. Then, closing his eyes, and praying he calculated the distance correctly, he spun around and punched as hard as he could. He knew he had hit something, because his hand stopped moving, and he wasn't pulled forward under his own momentum. But in the split second before the sound made it to his ears, his blood ran cold that he missed his intended target. He was quickly rewarded however, with the satisfying sound of someone crashing to the floor, and several shouts and screams as people moved to help Chris up.

He turned his back to where the commotion was coming from and opened his eyes to see Audrey frantically moving in the same direction of the commotion. He caught her by the arms, and pulled her to the side, seeing the wild look in her eyes.

"Oh my god, Nathan! What have you done! I think you broke his nose!"

He couldn't help the feeling of smug satisfaction that flooded his senses, but he had to get her moving. "Parker, come on. We need to get out of here."

"No! Nathan, I need to help him. He's bleeding!"

He tugged on her, and had to practically lift her out of the building, but he finally got her out on the street, putting his hands on her arms again, and leaned in close. "Parker, focus. You're not immune to the Troubles anymore, and you just saw Chris Brody."

He watched her eyes shift from pure panic, to pure embarrassment, to pure defeat before she closed them and dropped her head. "Oh, hell."

He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, hoping to let her know it was ok, but he had to smile. "Hey, we've all been there."

She looked up and her lips twitched into a lopsided grin. "I can't believe you broke his nose."

He tried to be serious, but knew she would hear the delight in his voice. "Trust me. The guy has had it coming for months. You stay here for a minute. I need to go in and clean this up. I'm sure it doesn't look great that the former Chief of Police just dropped Haven's favorite person."

"Maybe I should come too. Just to help explain things."

He shook his head. "No. You're not used to not being immune. You stay here. I don't want you getting sucked in again."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded her head. As he headed back inside Rosemary's, he could already see her working on the people standing outside, getting them to move on their way. He thought he heard her mention something about a potential gas leak in town that was making people act irrationally.

"I've already called the police. You can't just attack someone like that - especially someone as wonderful as Chris Brody."

Nathan looked at the old woman who stood in his personal space, waving a finger in his face. "I'm sorry ma'am. I was just informed there is a town-wide gas leak causing people to act irrationally. I wanted to come back to apologize to Mr. Brody, but please feel free to fill out a police report in regards to my actions."

The little old lady shook her head, and then looked over to Chris. "He's such a good man. I hope the doctors will be able to fix his pretty face."

He took a tiny step back at the fierceness in the old lady's eyes when she looked back at him, and watched her walk out of the bakery. The place was small, so it was difficult to navigate his way to the table without looking at Chris, but he managed. He sat down at the small table, keeping his eyes locked on the floor. He could see a set of boots, and knew that Chris had managed to climb off the floor, and was sitting at the table. "Chris."

"Nathan."

He heard a distinct nasal tone in Chris' voice which confirmed Audrey's suspicion that he had broken Chris' nose. He didn't feel bad about that. "You are more than welcome to file a police report about my actions today."

"As much as I would like to, I'm assuming you had a good reason for the unprovoked attack."

He nodded. "Audrey."

"Yeah, I had a suspicion after the second time your name showed up on her phone screen."

He could feel his blood start to boil. "So it _was_ you who made her turn her phone off."

"Yes and no. I've found that a helpful suggestion goes a lot further for me than it used to."

It was getting frustrating not being able to look into his foe's eyes as he spoke. He wanted nothing more than to give Chris a look that could kill. "You need to stay away from her."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning. She's not immune to the Troubles anymore. Don't even think of trying to take advantage of that." He heard sirens pierce the air, and knew it was time to leave. Someone had obviously called an ambulance for Chris. Not that he expected any less from those trapped in Chris' Trouble. As he walked away, he could hear Chris yell at him.

"Are you at least going to apologize about my nose? You ruined my perfect face!"

"Nope." And with that, he was out the door, and could finally look at something other than his own shoes.

"Nathan, I…"

He looked at Audrey and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go to Haven Joe's. You still owe me a morning snack." He took her hand and led her down the street, his heart finally slowing.

"You know Dwight is going to talk to you about this, right? I mean, we did just tell people there was another town-wide gas leak."

He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "All the more reason you need to spring for pancakes."

He could hear her snort, so he pulled her against him. Her recent loss of immunity to the Troubles was going to prove much more difficult than he originally thought, but he would do anything to keep her safe.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Audrey is feeling insecure that she has no set of memories/life/family before Haven that are her own. (Courtesy of goldenbeautys)


	8. Insecurities be Damned

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **Audrey is feeling insecure that she has no set of memories/life/family before Haven that are her own. (Courtesy of goldenbeautys)

**Summary: **She didn't have anything of her own before she moved to Haven, but Nathan wasn't going to let that get in the way of Audrey's happiness.

* * *

><p><strong>Insecurities be Damned.<strong>

"I'm not sure I can do this." Audrey looked down at the pregnancy test that was bolding saying 'Positive' and leaned backwards into Nathan's solid chest, feeling his chin drop to her shoulder as his arms encircled her waist.

"Parker, you've been thrown down the street by wind from someone's Trouble. I think you can handle being pregnant." Nathan knew without a doubt that it wasn't the actual pregnancy that was bothering Audrey, but more so what came after the pregnancy – a family. It wasn't exactly something she was used to, which is why he was hoping to distract her with a little levity.

Audrey stood up straight again, pulling away from Nathan, and tossed the pregnancy test in the garbage can. She jumped up to sit on the bathroom counter and hung her head low. "You know that's not what I meant."

Nathan walked up to her, and put his hands on her sides, waiting until she lifted her eyes to his. "What do you want me to say?"

Audrey sighed. "I don't know. I just…I'm worried I can't do this because I don't have any memories, or a life, or a family that are my own. Everything inside my crazy head comes from other people, and none of it comes from a loving place. It's all dark Nathan, and I never want children of ours to experience the dark. But I'm not sure I can give anything other than that."

The look she gave Nathan made a fist clutch at his heart. She was scared on so many levels, and he knew whatever he said at that moment had to come from a place of absolute belief and trust for her to latch onto and move into the future with him. "Audrey. While our futures may be guided by our pasts, they are not defined by them. Who you are has nothing to do with whoever's memories you have in your head. From the moment you walked out of your apartment and Boston, and set foot in Haven, you've been creating your own memories – your own life. And, you've created your own family, even if it does include two crazy old men and a good for nothing smuggler."

Audrey snorted, and the edges of her lips twitched upwards.

"It's not like I had the greatest childhood either, but I'm not worried about screwing our kid up, and you know why?"

Audrey shook her head, but stayed silent.

"Because I know you'll be by my side with me every step of the way, and the two of us together make a pretty good team. Will it be difficult? Sure. But I think if we can get you back from another dimension, I'm pretty sure we can raise a child."

"You really believe that, don't you."

Nathan nodded and leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he finally took a moment to savor the enormity of the moment. He was having a child. With Audrey. And it was going to be ok. "I believe in you."

Audrey draped her arms over Nathan's shoulders and reveled in the tender moment. He always knew how to calm her down. No matter the situation.

"You know what we should do?"

Nathan's warm breath fluttered over her lips, making Audrey shudder in delight. "What's that?"

She squealed a little as he shoved his hands under her thighs and picked her off the counter and started walking towards the bedroom. "I think we should celebrate."

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> I would love to read a story about them talking about the rings (Courtesy of Guest)


	9. The Rings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies. I'm writing this so it takes place in Season 4.

**Prompt: **I would love to read a story about them talking about the rings (Courtesy of Guest)

**Summary: **The subject of their duplicate rings would have to be broached sooner or later.

* * *

><p><strong>The Rings<strong>

As they laid together in bed, Audrey started playing with the chain Nathan religiously wore. She twirled it around her fingers, and let it drop, before scooting the ring at the end of it across Nathan's chest with her index finger. As it neared the end of his chest, she hooked her finger in it to pull it back, and then started flicking it so it hopped across his chest.

Nathan watched this display, feeling Audrey's finger movements, but tracking the progress of the ring through sight and her finger, since he couldn't feel it. He stroked her hair as she played, waiting for her to speak. When she fidgeted like this, it was because she had something on her mind, and she would get to it when she was good and ready. It never helped to push her.

Finally, she grabbed the ring between her index finger and thumb, lifting it up as far as the chain would allow. "Where do you think your dad got this?"

"Hmmm?" Audrey had been playing with the ring for so long that Nathan had gotten distracted just feeling her skin under his touch. He had moved from stroking her hair to trailing fingers down her back, and no matter how often he touched her, just being able to feel something was overpowering. Not only could he feel how soft her skin was, but he could feel the warmth that radiated from her. If he left his palm in one spot on her body for a few moments and then pulled it off, he could feel the contrast in temperature between the skin that had been under his hand, and the skin that hadn't.

Not letting go of the ring, Audrey rolled on top of Nathan and held the ring up in the air, looking at him through the opening. "Where do you think your dad got this? I just keep thinking about how similar it is to Sarah's."

Nathan shifted his arms so he could continue tracing his fingers down Audrey's bare back, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I don't ever remember seeing him with it."

Audrey put the ring back down on Nathan's chest, stuck her index finger in it, and started tracing random patterns, dragging the ring along with her finger. "I keep feeling like there's something to these rings, but I can't figure out what it is. One existed with Sarah, and one had to have existed with Lucy in order for your dad to have it. But why don't I have one? Where did they come from?"

Nathan shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Audrey took to rolling the ring with her index finger and thumb. "Do you think Lucy gave this to your dad?" She felt the constant movement of Nathan's fingers on her skin stop, which made her look up at him.

"That's possible. But, why would she?"

"Maybe they worked together?"

Nathan looked towards the ceiling and blew out a breath. "I cannot believe how much the Chief knew about you, and didn't tell either one of us."

Audrey put the ring down and reached up to touch Nathan's cheek. "He must have had a good reason."

As Nathan looked back down at Audrey, he sighed. "No reason is good enough to not tell us what was going on." His fingers started their exploration of Audrey's skin again, and he watched as Audrey looked back to the ring, picking it up again.

"I just wish we could figure out what they mean, and why Sarah and Lucy had one, but I don't. I wonder if the others had one as well?"

Sometimes it bothered Nathan that Audrey spoke of her other selves as completely different people, because he knew for a fact that deep down, they were all the same person, but he figured that it was the easiest way she could comprehend what was going on. Nathan framed Audrey's head with his hands, and leaned down to kiss her on the crown of her head. "Don't worry Parker, we'll figure it out. We always do."

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> A fulfills N's fantasy.(Courtesy of Guest S)


	10. Nathan's Fantasy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

Thank you so much for all of your reviews you guys! I'm having so much fun writing all of your prompts, but it's so great to know you're enjoying reading them.

Just FYI, I have enough prompts in the queue to last us all until the end of March, so make sure to keep sending things my way.

**Prompt:**A fulfills N's fantasy.(Courtesy of Guest S)

**Summary: **After losing a bet to Nathan, Audrey has to fulfill his ultimate fantasy.

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><p><strong>Nathan's Fantasy<strong>

"You know, after I lost the bet and had to fulfill your fantasy, I have to admit, this was not at all what I was expecting."

Nathan looked over at Audrey, who was completely decked out in fishing gear – right down to the oversized hat laden with hooks. He handed her a fishing pole and smirked as she groaned. Yup, this was definitely his fantasy alright. Sure, he could have asked her to do a number of things in the bedroom – or the office, which admittedly was another fantasy – but this was better. He was pretty sure he would be able to convince her to do all those other things he has in mind in time. This…this however, he knew she would choose getting shot any day over doing this.

So when he had won the high stakes poker game they had been playing – with him wearing nothing but one sock, and her wearing nothing at all, which, admittedly fulfilled a fantasy of his – Nathan had waited until the next morning to tell her his decision. They were going fishing. With a group of guys from town. And she had to wear the most ridiculous fishing getup he could find.

And as she stood there looking absolutely ridiculous, he couldn't help but notice all of the guys they were about to head out with look her up and down. Yup, this was his fantasy. Every single guy in the near vicinity was absolutely jealous of him because the most beautiful woman on the planet was there for him to go fishing.

"Are you _sure _this is what you want to do? Like, really sure?"

Nathan bent down so he could give her a quick kiss on the lips. He lingered there and smiled against her skin. "Mmmhmm."

He leaned back and gestured with his head towards the boat. "Come on, we don't want to miss the boat."

Audrey shook her head and shuffled towards the boat. Shuffling was the best she could do in this getup, but feeling Nathan's hand on her lower back as they walked made her feel at least a little better. She felt ridiculous. And she couldn't help but notice the looks the guys kept making in her direction, which made her start to put together why Nathan wanted her to do this. He wanted to show her off.

As she descended the stairs to the boat, holding onto Nathan's hand for extra support, she glanced up at him and couldn't miss the massive grin. Yup, his fantasy was showing her off, and it just happened to be in a fishing setting. As she shuffled over to one of the bench seats, she assumed that the fishing getup he made her wear was purely for humor only, since she was the only one wearing anything remotely fishing related. Everyone else was in old t-shirts, shorts, and running shoes. Nathan had at least worn a hat similar to hers, so she didn't feel completely out of place.

Audrey leaned against Nathan as the boat set out, and soon began chatting with every guy on the boat. It seemed they all wanted to tell her about the biggest fish they had caught while on a trip just like this one. The entire time, Nathan had his arm draped around her shoulders, firmly establishing her as his.

Meanwhile, Nathan was in heaven. He was out on a boat, which was one of his favorite places in the world, and he was there with Audrey. And even better, every single other guy on the boat kept coming over to talk to her and would shoot him an envious glance.

Once they finally dropped anchor, Nathan was able to wrap Audrey in his arms as he taught her the finer points of casting a line. The outfit she was wearing didn't allow him to feel her, but knowing she was there was good enough for him. And he'd be able to peel her out of those clothes as soon as they got home anyways. He stood right behind her with his hands on her hips as she waited for a nibble on her line.

"Nathan, I love you, and I know this is your fantasy and all, but you need to step back a bit. It's hot and I'm sweating, and you being this close is only making me sweat more."

Nathan chuckled, and leaned down to kiss Audrey's neck before stepping back a bit. She had rolled up her sleeves, but he could see why she would be warm. The sun always seemed stronger out on the water. He had come home with more sunburns than he could count after being out for a day of fishing.

When she got her first nibble, she fought the line, but not being used to using the required muscles, Nathan could see Audrey struggling, so he jumped in to help. Together, they reeled in her fish, and he could see her vibrating with excitement to see what she caught. And, as she pulled the lure free of the water and up the boat, her look of pure disappointment was laughable. She had successfully caught a large piece of seaweed, and Nathan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

One of the guys yelled at her for a picture, and thankfully she was a good sport and started laughing as she held up the seaweed for the camera. Nathan made a mental note to ask Gary to send him the picture.

"Parker. Did you put on sunscreen?" They had been out on the water for a couple of hours, and Nathan was noticing that Audrey's pale skin was starting to take on a definite pinkish tone. She shook her head, not even looking away from the water, and Nathan sighed. He left her at her post to grab the bottle out of his bag. He squirted some in his hands and stood next to her. "Look at me."

Audrey turned her head and tilted her face up so that Nathan had better access, closing her eyes as he smeared on the cold liquid. "Thanks." She smiled at him and then turned her attention back to her pole when she felt it jump next to her. "Oh! I think I got something!"

Nathan reached out to help, but she slapped his hand away.

"No way. I'm getting this one on my own."

So stubborn.

Nathan grinned as he stepped back and watched with pride as she wrestled with her fishing pole. She was of course doing it all wrong, and making it more difficult on herself than it should be, but he wasn't going to step in. This was her fight.

Audrey felt as though her muscles were going to tear out of her arms, and it seemed as though she wasn't getting anywhere. And the stupid line just kept getting stuck and she was fighting more with the pole than the fish. Finally, finally the crank started turning and the line was getting shorter, and then out of the water broke a fish. An actual fish! "Hah! I got one!" She reeled it up to the railing of the boat, and grabbed it in her hand, ignoring how slimy it was and shoved it towards Nathan. "I got one!"

A round of cheers and applause sounded from around the boat, and Audrey proudly held up her fish as another picture was taken. She let Nathan pull the fish off of the hook, and felt pretty good about herself.

"Ok, well, you caught a fish, now you get to gut it."

Audrey held up her hands and shook her head. "Oh no. Nuh, uh. That was not part of the original fantasy Nathan, so the gutting is all yours."

Nathan snorted. "Alright, alright."

As they stepped off the boat and waved goodbye to the gang, Audrey clutched the bag containing her fish, already looking forward to having Nathan cook it up for them later that evening.

They decided to head towards Nathan's house since he had all the proper cooking ware for fish.

Upon walking in the front door, exhaustion from the day started to hit Audrey. "Ok, I'm going to get out of these ridiculous clothes now." She pulled off her hat, and flicked off a dry fish scale in disgust. Soon after the scale hit the floor, Audrey squeaked a bit as Nathan twisted her and pushed her against the wall.

Nathan nuzzled her neck with his mouth, nipping at her jawline. "I think I can help you with that."

Audrey put her hands on Nathan's chest and pushed him away a little. "Nathan, I smell like fish. I need a shower."

"I can definitely help you with that." And with that, Nathan swept Audrey off her feet as she laughed, and hauled her to the bathroom.

Later that night after polishing off the fish Audrey had caught – as well as the few Nathan had – the two sat together in an Adirondack chair sipping wine and watching the sun set.

Audrey leaned back against Nathan's chest and sighed in contentment. "You know, I wasn't too sure about your fantasy, but it ended up being a pretty good day."

Nathan wrapped his arms around Audrey's waist and pulled her close, whispering into her ear. "I have a few other fantasies if you're interested."

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> How Nathan discovered Life was Audrey's favorite game. (Courtesy of Guest)


	11. Life

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies. This takes place during the first morning of Nathan and Audrey's cabin getaway.

**Prompt: **How Nathan discovered Life was Audrey's favorite game. (Courtesy of Guest)

**Summary: **Nathan never would have guessed that Life was Audrey's favorite game.

* * *

><p><strong>Life.<strong>

As much as he wanted to continue last night's amorous activities, Nathan needed a little time to recover. They had agreed to leave their phones turned off the entire time they were there, and since there wasn't a TV, that left little to do together other than eat, sleep, and…not sleep.

So, after sleeping in and lazing around the cabin for the better part of the morning, he and Audrey had decided to go for a walk in the woods. The lazy stroll through the trees didn't last long however, because the mosquitos had been the size of hummingbirds, and no amount of bug spray was warding them off. Nathan and Audrey spent more time swatting at the pests than doing much of else, so they finally gave up on the walk, and ran back to the safety of the cabin.

As Audrey tried in vain to rid herself of the smell of bug spray, Nathan took to routing through the cabin for something they could do. He vaguely remembered the Chief having some board games that were kept around for rainy days, and so narrowed his hunt for that.

Upon finding the stash of games, Nathan blew the dust off of the top box, and smiled at the 70s packaging of each box. If they weren't so well used, he would have bet they would be worth a small fortune. Nathan carried the boxes to the table, and set them down so he could see what their options would be for the evening. As he spread them out, he could hear Audrey pad along the floor behind him. "I found some old games we could play."

Audrey's eyes flicked over each of the boxes, and lit up as they settled on one in particular. She reached out to grab the box, and started to open it. "Oh! Life! This is my favorite game."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He started piling up the other boxes on the table to set them aside so Audrey could put her box down.

She immediately started unpacking it, fingering through the pieces as she went through a mental checklist of everything that should be in there. Once she decided that everything was present and accounted for, she nodded. "Definitely. When you grow up never really knowing for sure what your future will be – or if you'll even have a future – it's oddly comforting to play something that, with a simple roll of a dice, you can end up with a husband, kids, a house, that kind of thing."

Nathan could only nod at her logic. While his upbringing hadn't exactly been perfect, he definitely had had it better than Audrey – which is maybe why Life never really appealed to him. He would play it, but he much preferred the challenge of checkers. In checkers, your fate wasn't decided by the roll of a dice, but rather by pure strategy. And with the events of the past year, Nathan was firmly in the camp of being able to decide his fate through strategy – and a little luck. "So, does that mean you want to play?" Audrey had already pretty much set up the entire game, so Nathan's question seemed more rhetorical than anything else.

"What color do you want to be? I want to be red."

Nathan smiled and settled into the chair across the table from her, and picked up the blue car while looking into the blue of Audrey's eyes. "Blue always seemed to be a lucky color for me."

Those eyes leveled with his. "Well, prepare to be unlucky Wuornos."

They played several games that night. Nathan started out letting Audrey win, but then as her teasing intensified, he started really trying to win. And as try as he might, he couldn't do it, and finally got frustrated and stood up. "I'm going to make dinner."

Audrey chuckled and stood up, making her way around the table towards Nathan. She leaned into his body, resting both hands on his chest, and looked up into his eyes, feeling the familiar rush of excitement when he looked back at her. When she felt his hands come to a rest on her lower back, pulling her even closer to him, she almost lost her train of thought, so she looked down at his chest where she started to draw lazy patterns. "How about this. You cook dinner, I'll clean up, and then I'll let you show me how good life can actually be. Think of it as a continuation of last night." She looked up at his eyes again and smirked when she saw them darken in color.

He leaned down to kiss her and smiled against her lips. If the end result of Life was always like this, Nathan had definitely found a new favorite game. "You're on."

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> What happens when Audrey tries to help Nathan with his Decoupage project for the nursery. (Courtesy of STforRK)


	12. Decoupage Debacle

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **What happens when Audrey tries to help Nathan with his Decoupage project for the nursery. (Courtesy of STforRK)

**Summary: **Occasionally Audrey and Nathan come upon projects where they don't make good partners.

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><p><strong>Decoupage Debacle.<strong>

"How on earth can I be doing this wrong? All it is, is pictures and glue. Kids in kindergarten do this all day."

"Doesn't mean you're not doing it wrong." Nathan felt his wife's familiar slap against his shoulder, but he didn't even look up, instead continuing to focus on placing the paper just right on the bedside table.

Ever since they had moved in together, Audrey had been constantly teasing Nathan about his decoupaging. In truth, ever since he had started growing closer to Audrey, he had given up his hobby. He didn't need a distraction from the world anymore – he had a flesh and blood distraction that kept him plenty occupied.

So when they found out that Audrey was pregnant, Nathan decided that he would pull out his old hobby one more time, so that he could create something unique for the baby's room. After a lot of back and forth between what he would work on, he and Audrey finally decided on a bedside table. It was something that could stay with the baby as he or she grew into a toddler and beyond.

Today was the day Nathan decided to start applying the pattern and Audrey insisted on helping. He would much rather have done everything on his own, but he couldn't say no to her - she was carrying his child after all. So he patiently explained to her the finer art of decoupage, even though he knew she wasn't listening to a word he said, and was already getting glue everywhere. There were times when she tested his patience.

Today was one of those days.

"Parker, you can't do it like that. Were you not listening to me earlier?"

"Yeah sure, glue, stick, varnish, varnish again. Got it."

Nathan shook his head, and pointed to a far section of the bedside table. "Why don't you work over there, while I handle this area." One of the good things about Audrey being pregnant was that occasionally he could slip small details past her, and judging by how she started concentrating on the small corner, Nathan realized he had gotten this one by her, and started in on the intricate pattern he wanted to create.

"Parker. You're supposed to smooth out the wrinkles."

"What are you talking about? There are no wrinkles in this."

Nathan pointed to a large wrinkle in the piece of paper Audrey had just glued to the table. "How about that one right there?"

Audrey glanced at where Nathan was pointing. "Oh, that? I was being creative. It's supposed to be like that."

Nathan looked up at the ceiling and silently prayed for strength. "If we're creative like that, we're going to end up with more varnish on this thing than wood."

One of the bad things about Audrey being pregnant was that her temper was on a shorter fuse than it usually was. And Nathan's comment unfortunately lit that fuse.

Audrey dropped the brush she was using on the table, and wheeled around to Nathan, who was wincing at the extra glue that sloshed on the table. "If you don't want me to help, then just say so." As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, Audrey closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as a sigh escaped her lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Nathan carefully put down his own brush, and moved to pull Audrey into his arms. "Parker, it's ok. The first time is always a little tricky."

Audrey leaned her forehead against Nathan's chest and breathed in his scent to calm herself down. Being pregnant was definitely messing with her emotions.

"We'll work on this together, and for better or worse, we'll get it done."

Audrey pulled back and nodded. "Ok." Then she looked him in the eyes and smirked. "Now I know why you always kept your decoupaging so secret. You're a perfectionist."

Nathan leaned down and kissed Audrey solidly on the mouth – leaving her slightly breathless as he pulled away – before he nudged her over. "Now, move over. I need to fix all these glue spots you left everywhere."

Audrey hip checked Nathan as she picked up her glue brush again, and set in on trying not to leave any wrinkles.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Nathan is being overprotective of a pregnant Audrey (Courtesy of Doks)


	13. Overprotectiveness

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **Nathan is being overprotective of a pregnant Audrey (Courtesy of Doks)

**Summary: **Two times he was overprotective and it was annoying, and one time it wasn't.

* * *

><p><strong>Overprotectiveness.<strong>

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing, Parker?"

Audrey flicked her eyes to the left and right wondering what she was doing that was out of the ordinary before looking at Nathan rushing towards her. "Uh, carrying some files?"

Nathan grabbed the folders out of her hand, passing them to Stan as he passed by. He took Audrey's hand and propelled her forward before he laid a hand on her lower back to steer her towards their office.

"Nathan, what on earth are you doing?"

The two officers made it into their shared office, and Nathan closed the door behind him, pulling the string of the blinds so that they were cocooned in the small room alone. Audrey arched an eyebrow while crossing her arms and tapping her toe.

Nathan turned back to Audrey and pulled her shirt hem out of her jeans so he could lay his hand on her taught stomach, reveling in the feel of her warm skin. "Parker, you can't be carrying heavy items like that - especially in your condition."

Audrey slapped Nathan's hand away and glanced towards the door to make sure that no one had been able to see him make his move as she tucked her shirt back into her pants. She assumed that they all thought Nathan had guided her in there for a mid-afternoon necking anyways since he had closed the blinds, but if she could avoid tipping them off to her pregnancy until she started showing, she would consider that a win. But with the way Nathan had been hovering within inches of her since they had found out she was pregnant, she doubted she would be able to keep up the secret too much longer. "Nathan, someone could have seen that. And what's wrong with you? It was _five _files. Not like it weighed a whole lot."

Nathan absently rubbed his hand that had been slapped, and looked at Audrey. "I'm sorry, it's just…I don't want anything to go wrong."

As Nathan started to reach out again towards her stomach, Audrey thrust her hands out, grabbing his, effectively holding his hand down and away from her. "Nathan, I love you, but I swear to god, if you keep hovering like this, the only thing that will go wrong will be me slapping you. Got it?"

Nathan sheepishly nodded.

"Good." And with that, Audrey stood up on her tip toes to give Nathan a quick peck on the lips, and then moved past him and out the door.

She figured she would have a good two hours before he forgot this conversation and she tripped over him again.

"Are you pregnant?"

* * *

><p>If Audrey wasn't a cop in Haven and used to the unexpected, she would have spit her iced tea across the bar when Duke's words tumbled over her shoulder into her ear. Instead, she merely swallowed, and swiveled in her chair to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"<p>

"Well, not that I've been paying attention, but I've been known to notice the smaller details."

Audrey narrowed her eyes. "Such as…"

Duke took the opportunity to sit at the bar next to Audrey. "Such as, suddenly my coffee supply is no longer being mysteriously raided every morning."

Audrey went back to sipping her iced tea. "Maybe your thief has moved on to bigger and better things."

"Ok, how about the fact that my sales of martinis have dipped recently?"

"Sometimes people like to mix it up, Duke. You know, cut back on the calories and stick with natural drinks." Audrey lifted up her glass to show Duke. "Like iced tea."

Duke leaned back and crossed his arms as his eyes swept up and down Audrey. "Well, if we're talking about calories…"

Audrey narrowed her eyes and immediately dropped the pretense she and Duke had been playing. "I swear to god Duke, if you say anything about me gaining weight, you're going to be wearing this particular drink."

Duke held up his hands in mock surrender with a grin plastered across his face. "Hey, you're the one that brought it up, and frankly, even if you were gaining weight, I would say it looks fantastic on you, and good for Nathan for keeping you well fed."

Audrey blushed a little, and looked down at her drink. "He is a good cook…"

"But I would have to say, the most telling sign is the fact that Nathan hasn't let you out of his sight for more than 30 seconds in the past couple of months. And when you're not looking, he's hovering around you like you're going to break into a thousand pieces at any moment."

Audrey swiveled around towards Duke, because she finally had a point she could win on. After yelling at Nathan that morning for tripping her for the thousandth time, he had left her alone all day, which was why she was currently enjoying her iced tea by herself. "Hah, you're wrong about that. He's not here now, so your observation is therefore incorrect."

When Duke glanced over her shoulder, Audrey felt her heart constrict a little and knew without a doubt she was busted.

"You sure about that?"

Audrey peeked over her shoulder, and sure enough, there was Nathan walking in the door, waving in their direction. She looked back at Duke shooting him a steely glare. "You cannot tell _anyone _Duke. We're trying to keep this a secret for a little while longer."

"You should tell your boyfriend to stop hovering then." With that, Duke stood up and walked around Audrey towards Nathan, clapping his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Congrats Nathan."

Nathan shot Audrey a quick glance and she shrugged her shoulders. He didn't need to know that Duke had figured it out.

"Uh, thanks? For what?"

Duke looked back at Audrey before looking at Nathan. "For somehow landing a woman like our Audrey here."

Nathan was still unsure as to what exactly was going on, so he narrowed his eyes and looked at Duke like he was crazy. "Yeah. Thanks."

Duke clapped Nathan's shoulder one more time before moving past him to deal with another customer.

Nathan bent over to drop a kiss on Audrey's neck before sliding an arm around her shoulders as he sat down next to her. "What was that all about?"

Audrey shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure. Sometimes I just can't figure out that guy."

Nathan's eyes flicked over to Audrey's drink. "Are you ok to be drinking that? Isn't there caffeine in iced tea?"

"Nathan…" Audrey's voice held a tone of warning in it, so Nathan stopped with the questioning and let her finish her drink in silence.

* * *

><p>As she settled back into the warm bubble bath, for once, Audrey had to thank Nathan's hovering. Her pregnancy was starting to show, but she was able to still cover it with loose fitting shirts. Her levels of exhaustion however, were getting difficult to hide.<p>

Today was one of those days where it was definitely very noticeable.

All day, she was barely able to keep her eyes open, and towards the end, Nathan insisted on taking her home early. She had fallen asleep in the Bronco on the way home – that's how tired she was, and she let Nathan practically carry her into the house. She promised she was just resting her eyes on the sofa, but when Nathan pulled her towards the bathroom with a promise of bubble bath, she shook her head awake.

And the bath was glorious. The water was piping hot – just how she liked it – and there was a small white box sitting next to the tub. Audrey opened it and realized that Nathan must have stopped at Rosemary's on the way home. She was so tired she hadn't even realized they had stopped anywhere. But as she raised the sugary treat to her lips, she smiled at how much Nathan hovered. By hovering, he made her finally leave work, he drove her home, he let her sleep, he drew a bath for her, and even bought her a cupcake.

After finishing her cupcake, and relaxing in the tub until the water started to cool, Audrey climbed out and wrapped herself in Nathan's robe. It always smelled like him, and she loved how it completely enveloped her. When she opened the door to the bathroom, the smell of cooking wafted in and pulled her towards the kitchen. Leave it to Nathan to cook her dinner too.

Audrey padded up behind Nathan and wrapped her arms around his stomach, pulling her body into his and leaning her cheek against his back. "Thank you for taking care of me today."

Nathan did one last stir of the stir-fry he was making, turned off the burner, and moved the pan to the other side of the stove before turning around to pull Audrey even closer to him. "Do you feel better now?"

Audrey nodded. "I feel great now." She stood on her tiptoes so she could give Nathan a kiss on the lips.

"Good." Nathan loved seeing Audrey wear his things – it flared to life a primal yearning in him, knowing she wanted to be surrounded by him always – but the robe was so big, it fully engulfed her, keeping him away from her precious skin and touch. So as she dropped back down to the flats of her feet, Nathan snuck his hands through the folds of the robe, seeking out her skin like a moth to a flame.

Her skin was on fire from the bath she had, and he pulled her impossibly close, his mouth slanting against hers. His hands floated across her rounding stomach, hovering there for a moment before travelling further up her body. When he realized she was completely naked under the robe, all thoughts of dinner completely faded from his mind. His hands moved to support her growing breasts, and a shudder of desire rippled through both him and Audrey at the same time. Nathan rested his forehead against Audrey's, and looked down at her body as he parted the robe open. "God, Parker, you're so beautiful. It's so hard not to stare at you all day when you look like this."

Audrey was holding onto Nathan's biceps, mainly for support, because with the way Nathan was touching and looking at her, her knees were going weak. She cleared her throat before speaking. "We're at home now Nathan. You can stare at me all night."

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Nathan and Audrey's first night together after the split from Mara - whatever happened between the Rouge and the morning after scene from the show. (Courtesy of Peacockgirl and Guest)


	14. Mixed Blessings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This takes place in between the scenes we saw during Nowhere Man ( The Duke, Nathan, and Audrey discussing her return scene, and the morning after scene).

**Prompt: **Nathan and Audrey's first night together after the split from Mara - whatever happened between the Rouge and the morning after scene from the show. (Courtesy of Peacockgirl and Guest)

**Summary: **Audrey was finally home, and so of course, her first night back was spent with Nathan.

* * *

><p><strong>Mixed Blessings.<strong>

As she sat on the Cape Rouge listening to Nathan and Duke talk, their voices were barely registering with her. A small joke Nathan threw Duke's way flitted through her thoughts, and she turned to them to smile. But as she sat there sipping her water, she couldn't help but think that something felt…off. She couldn't put her finger on it though. And as petty as it seemed, she was uncomfortable in the clothes Duke had given to her. Whose were they? Past girlfriends'? The woman whose jeans she currently had on was definitely taller than her, because she had to roll them up so she wouldn't trip on them. The shirt fit fairly decently, and she felt a pit in her stomach as she wondered if it was Jennifer's. They did have similar slight frames.

When Nathan asked her how she felt, it was like she couldn't put her feelings into the correct words. She felt different, but couldn't figure out why, so she answered with the first assumption that came into her mind. She was finally her. Audrey Parker. No one else. Maybe that's why she felt different. She finally didn't have multiple personalities trapped within one small body.

As she sat hugging her knees, the desire to just get out of there, just get home, was becoming overwhelming. And as they talked more about Mara, she felt…dirty - like she needed a shower to wash off the evil of the woman.

So she announced her exhaustion and need for a shower, and got up to head towards the Bronco, leaving the boys to finish up their conversation.

As she walked along the deck of the Cape Rouge, a cool breeze blew off the water, and Audrey shivered, hugging herself to keep warm. She quickened her pace so that she could make it to the Bronco faster. Nathan would be close behind, so she wouldn't have to wait long to crank the heaters. Thankfully Nathan had left the doors unlocked, so Audrey climbed in, buckled her seatbelt, leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. It felt like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her whole body felt weak, like she had the flu. All she could think about was standing under the boiling hot spray of her shower.

Nathan's hand on her own made her jump – she must have nodded off while waiting for him – but she pulled her head off the window to look at him and give a small smile. God, she owed so much to this man, and wanted nothing more than to start showing him how much she appreciated him, but even her bones felt weary, so instead, she settled for a tight squeeze of his fingers. He smiled back at her, and leaned towards her, pulling his hand out of hers so he could reach behind her head to pull her close to give her a small kiss on her forehead. He leaned his forehead against hers for a few moments before speaking. "Let's get you home."

Audrey nodded, and leaned back against the window as Nathan drove towards the Gull. When he stopped at the store for some groceries, she told him she would stay in the car, and dozed while he picked up supplies for dinner.

When they arrived home, she didn't even argue as he helped her from the truck. Normally she would never lean on someone like this, but she was so tired. So tired she didn't even think she could make it up the stairs without help. And he helped her. Of course he helped her. And as she undressed, he turned on the water for her, but left it for her to regulate the temperature. She stood naked in front of him, and she could tell by the darkening of his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to undress with her and help her wash herself clean. But, being the gentleman he was, he merely placed a palm flat on her stomach, and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the lips, promising that dinner would be ready when she was.

She watched him as he retreated from her small bathroom, shutting the door behind him, and sighed. The nightmare was almost over. She was back – really back. And she was herself, she was Audrey Parker. She was back with the love of her life – a man that had gone through hell once again to bring her back. Even if she had an evil twin being held in the bows of the Cape Rouge, at least she had Nathan.

The thought of Mara had Audrey shivering, so she tested the spray of water, turned it a few notches hotter, and stepped under the spray, praying that the water would warm her up.

After a blissful scalding shower, Audrey toweled herself off, and could smell something delicious wafting under the door, so she pulled on her pajamas that Nathan had dropped off for her, and walked out into the kitchen. Sure enough, dinner was ready, as promised.

* * *

><p>When he heard the door to the bathroom open, Nathan put down the last plate on the table and looked up at Audrey. "How are you feeling?" She looked rejuvenated after her shower, but he needed to hear it from her.<p>

Audrey smiled. "Much better."

Nathan let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, and quickly closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly close. "God, Audrey, I…" He couldn't even finish his thought, and instead buried his face in her hair. If he could feel it, he was pretty sure he was crying. It was such a bittersweet day. Finally, _finally _he had gotten her back. God, what a horrible, horrible past week it had been, but now she was back, but she wasn't _her _anymore. She was Audrey, but she wasn't. He couldn't feel her. His rock, his soulmate, his everything, and suddenly she was just another hollow object against him – something that was there, but if he wasn't looking, would never know it was there. Ultimately, it didn't matter. It was _Audrey. _His rock, his soulmate, his everything. Even if he couldn't feel her, she was the love of his life, and if he couldn't feel her ever again, that would be ok, because she was here, and she was in his arms, and she was safe.

Reluctantly he pulled back, because he knew she had to be exhausted. He couldn't even imagine what it was like to be pulled from another body, but it had to have been tiring. "Audrey." Nathan brushed a golden curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Sit down and have some dinner. You must be famished."

She nodded as she leaned into his palm on her cheek, and closed her eyes to savor him being there.

Nathan wanted to just pull her back into his arms and never let go, but it could wait. At least until she finished dinner.

* * *

><p>As soon as they finished dinner and cleaned up, Audrey felt <em>alive. <em>It had been _so long _since it was just her and Nathan. Every time she had been able to break through Mara's hold on her mind and she saw Nathan, he was terrified. Terrified of the situation, terrified that he was losing her, terrified that he couldn't fix it. But he had fixed it, she was here, and even though he looked exhausted, he looked relaxed for the first time in weeks.

And all she wanted was to feel him over her – feel him in her. Desire rippled through her body, and she could feel her heart beating faster. There was no need for sleep tonight. They suddenly had time. So when Nathan reached his hand out to her from his position on the sofa, she put her hand in his, and allowed herself to be tugged towards him.

Audrey put a knee down on either side of Nathan's lap, and cradled his head in her hands, bringing his lips to hers in a fiery kiss. His hands went under her shirt, tracing up her sides before settling on her back, pulling her forward so that she was closer to his body. The feeling of his warm skin on hers made Audrey gasp, and Nathan took advantage of her open mouth to let his tongue dance with hers. Audrey pulled in a breath through her nose so she wouldn't have to break the kiss, and straightened her back as she pushed up on her knees, allowing her to change the angle of the kiss.

Nathan's hands kept travelling up her back, effectively hiking her shirt up half her body, and his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts. The cool air of her apartment hit her skin, causing her to shiver, breaking the moment.

Nathan pulled back from the kiss, his eyes an impossibly dark blue. Audrey couldn't even open hers as she tried to catch her breath. "Are you sure you want to do this Audrey?"

Audrey opened her eyes to lock onto Nathan's, and felt the bulge in Nathan's pants putting pressure on all the right parts of her body. "More than anything in the world."

"Thank Christ." And with that, Nathan grabbed under Audrey's ass, lifting her as he stood up, breathing her air as his own as he stumbled towards her bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Nathan forced himself to wake up before Audrey. Since he couldn't feel her anymore, he was terrified that she would try to wake him up by drawing patterns across his naked skin, as she was wont to do, and he wouldn't feel it, and therefore wouldn't wake up. So he laid there in bed, running his fingers through her hair as she slept, trying not to feel the despair crawling into his mind. If he couldn't feel her anymore, that meant she was no longer immune to the Troubles. And if she wasn't immune, she was vulnerable, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to protect her like she needed. Nathan let out a massive sigh, and his rising chest roused Audrey from her sleep.<p>

She looked up at him with those impossibly blue eyes – her blonde curls tousled from sleep and sex – and Nathan knew for a fact that even if he couldn't feel her, it didn't matter to him. He loved her for everything she was, and nothing would douse the fire he felt for her.

"Hi." Audrey's voice was heavy with sleep, but was lifted by her smile. It felt _so good _to wake up naked next to Nathan. Never in a million years would she get used to that feeling.

When she spoke in her breathy voice that was reserved for only him, all of Nathan's concerns left his mind, and all he could think was that Audrey was here. Naked, with him. He could imagine how warm her skin would be after being pressed up against him all night, and when he flipped her so that she was beneath him, he trailed his fingers down her sides and along her thighs that she raised to give him better access. He reached up to cradle her head, kissing her soundly. Last night had been frantic, but this morning he wanted to take it slow. As their tongues danced, Nathan thrust into her, and hearing her whimper in delight exploded his senses. He crushed his lips to hers as they began to move as one.

And then, the one sound that could crash through his subconscious no matter what, rumbled through the air. Nathan pulled back to look at Audrey and sighed. He mentally debated how bad it would be if he just ignored it, but knew the consequences would be too high if he did. Everyone knew Audrey was back – he had already spread the word – so if they both came in late (or skipped the day entirely) everyone would know what they had been up to, and that wouldn't exactly be the most professional thing to do, especially with Mara still on the loose.

Begrudgingly, he pulled out of her, and rolled over to grab his phone to see what the emergency was. As soon as he read the message, he sighed.

And so it begins.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> a Naudrey wedding with Charlotte as Audrey's maid of honor and James as Nathan's best man. Like an all around family affair. Oh and Duke could walk her down the aisle or officiate or something. (Courtesy of Guest)


	15. A Family Affair

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

Thank you so, so, so much for all the amazing reviews to this. I hope you've been enjoying reading these drabbles as much as I've been enjoying writing them.

**Prompt: **a Naudrey wedding with Charlotte as Audrey's maid of honor and James as Nathan's best man. Like an all around family affair. Oh and Duke could walk her down the aisle or officiate or something. (Courtesy of Guest)

**Summary: **It's Nathan and Audrey's wedding day, and the whole family is there.

* * *

><p><strong>A Family Affair.<strong>

He had to keep reminding himself to breathe. Had it been his choice, this day would have included himself, Audrey, a minister, and whoever they pulled in from the street to be a witness. He didn't need anyone else. But she insisted that their family be there, and he of course relented, regardless of how crazy their family was.

Only a couple of short years ago, his family consisted of the Chief. Now, it included a future mother-in-law who was from another dimension, a son who had been born before him, a smuggler, and a host of other characters who had somehow made an impact on his life. Whoever said a person needed to read or watch TV to escape reality had clearly never visited Haven.

So there he stood, with his older-than-him son standing next to him, looking over at his future mother-in-law who stood on the bride's side, waiting for the love of his life to come down the path, and make her turn onto the aisle. He couldn't feel it, but he was fairly certain his breathing was shallow, and that his heart was pounding a thousand beats a minute. He hated being in front of this many people, and he would have much rather have seen her in her dress for the first time in the privacy of their bedroom. It might not have stayed on her too long, but that's beside the point.

He had to shake his head to dislodge the thought train he was starting to go down. This was not the time or place to get lost in desire and end up embarrassing himself. Everyone would be looking at her anyways, but still. In just a few short hours, he could do whatever he wanted with her – and wouldn't have to settle for whatever his imagination was creating.

And then, there she was.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Was there music playing? He couldn't be sure. Everyone's eyes were locked on her, and his were no exception. There was nothing else in the vicinity except her. Once she carefully stepped in the aisle, and was sure she wasn't going to trip, her eyes locked on his, and never wavered. Millions of words and feelings were passed between he and Audrey as she moved, creating an intimacy that shouldn't be possible with this many people in attendance.

Finally, _finally _she was standing next to him. Her eyes only darted from his to make contact with their son's, then her mother's, and finally Duke's as he gave her away.

He looked over at Duke and nodded his thanks as Duke placed Audrey's hand in his. A slight flush of male pride washed over him as Duke of all people gave her away to him. She was completely his.

There were words being said - there had to have been - but the way she was looking at him had his mind a million miles away. Somehow he managed to say the words he needed to say, and miraculously did so without stumbling over those words. He watched as her lips moved, saying those words that are always said. And then she was slipping a ring on his finger, and it felt glorious.

And then it was time to seal the deal. They met halfway, and it was all lips, and skin, and warmth, and _her._

It was heaven.

He pulled away reluctantly, staring deep into her eyes. All he wanted to do was pull her away from everyone right now, but soon – soon he could do that. More words were said, but the only thing he could register was her hands in his.

Then they were walking down the aisle together, and together they sat with friends and talked and celebrated. Together they danced (her much better than he), and together they thanked everyone who came. They always made sure that no matter what they were doing, one was always touching the other. Nothing was going to break their connection today.

Finally it was time for them to be with only each other. Together they bid farewell and finally entered the privacy of their room.

He took his time, but eventually removed that dress from her. She was beautiful in it, but even more so out of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> A woman who believes 'all men act like animals,' has a Trouble that makes men behave like animals. (Courtesy of Elegant Soul)


	16. Animal Troubles

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **A woman who believes 'all men act like animals,' has a Trouble that makes men behave like animals. (Courtesy of Elegant Soul)

**Summary: **A new officer in town is thrown into the world of the Troubles when she encounters a woman who makes men behave like animals. Luckily, she has Audrey Parker to help her.

* * *

><p><strong>Animal Troubles.<strong>

_Thank God Nathan isn't here._

Audrey stood in the middle of Jenn Jackson's home, one arm crossed against her body, and the other pinching the bridge of her nose as she shut her eyes in frustration. This latest Trouble had thankfully gone unnoticed for a while and if Ms. Jackson's cable hadn't gone out, it probably would have continued to have gone unnoticed.

When the call had come in earlier in the morning, it seemed innocent enough – well, innocent in the sense that it was a missing person's report. Typically, if an adult goes missing, police departments won't put a lot of priority on the case because it's an adult who can make their own decisions, and perhaps decided they just wanted to walk away from life.

But, since this was Haven, and since Haven's a small town, one of the officers knew Mike O'Leary's family, and therefore asked if the case of a missing Mike O'Leary could be looked into.

Dwight, being the big softie that he is deep down, agreed to have someone look into the disappearance of Mike O'Leary, but since it wasn't a high priority case, put a junior officer on it.

Officer Heather Barber was new to town, and was excited to be placed on her very first solo case – especially since it seemed pretty open and shut. Mike O'Leary worked for the local cable company. It was well known he hated his job, but stuck with it because there wasn't much else he was qualified for. He had dreamed of moving to a bigger city – the current rumor was Portland – and had been saving up his money to get out of Haven.

Yesterday, he had been sent out to the home of a Ms. Jenn Jackson to look into why her cable was no longer working. No one had heard from him since.

Heather interviewed Mike O'Leary's sister first since she had called in the missing person's report, and had learned about Mike's desire to move to the city. His sister only knew that he was missing because they would talk on the 30th of every other month, without fail, and he had missed calling her. It didn't seem to faze her when Heather asked why they wouldn't communicate for so long in between calls. Mike O'Leary's sister had responded that they weren't close, so that's why.

Heather wrote down a note that the family wasn't close to each other, so it was possible he skipped town without saying anything to them.

Her next interview had been with Mike O'Leary's supervisor at the cable company where she learned about Mike's hatred for his job. When she pressed about why he hadn't been fired, Mike O'Leary's supervisor had told her that Mike showed up every day on time, never took time off, never called in sick, and always got his job done. No matter how much Mike may have bitched and complained about his job, there was no reason to fire him.

Heather wrote down a note that there was no love-loss between Mike O'Leary and his job, so it was possible he walked away from it.

Her final interview had been with Ms. Jenn Jackson, and this was the point where Heather had to call in for backup. When she opened the front door to see Audrey Parker standing there, she knew she was in trouble.

Audrey Parker was a legend in the police station.

On Heather's first day, a few of the other junior officers had taken her out for drinks at a local bar called the Grey Gull. She had passed it a few times on her travels but had always been nervous to go in alone, so jumped at the chance to go with colleagues. While there, she had noticed a petite blonde walking around as if she owned the place. When Heather asked if the woman was indeed the owner, she was immediately told that no, the handsome man with the long hair standing behind the bar was the owner – the blonde was Detective Audrey Parker. Heather's new friends told her that Audrey Parker was dating Nathan Wuornos (who Heather had definitely noticed during the day at the office and wasn't surprised in the least when she found out he wasn't available) and that Audrey was known for solving the cases that involved Troubles.

Then a whole different conversation began as she learned about the Troubles.

Everyone at the table was in awe of Audrey Parker, and Heather found herself to be in that camp as well.

Being new to the police department, and Haven in general, Heather was never given the opportunity to work with Audrey Parker. She had so little interaction with her, that on the rare occasion she did get to speak to Audrey, Heather quickly learned that Audrey had zero ability to remember the name Heather.

So when she opened the door to Audrey Parker standing on Jenn Jackson's front porch, Heather knew that Mike O'Leary lying on his side in the sun purring like a cat was definitely not because of a psychotic break, but rather the cause of a Trouble. And if Audrey Parker was sent, it was bad. Audrey Parker only handled the toughest of Trouble cases.

"Tell me again what happened?"

Heather nervously shifted her weight side to side before answering Audrey's question. "Yes ma'am." Heather paused as Audrey put up a hand.

"Don't call me ma'am."

"Yes ma'am. Uh…"

Audrey just shook her still raised hand, motioning for Heather to continue.

"Um…Detective…I arrived to interview Ms. Jackson about the reported missing case of Mr. O'Leary. Upon entering the residence, Ms. Jackson explained to me that Mr. O'Leary had in fact shown up for her appointment, but she had sent him away. She made me aware that she was not fond of men, and had specifically requested the cable company send a female employee, so when Mr. O'Leary showed up, she got angry at him and made him leave. At this time, she asked if I would like to sit down for some tea." Heather paused to clear her throat, because she knew it was against regulations to accept anything from witnesses. "I um…I accepted because I needed to ask her a few more questions." Heather quickly looked up at Audrey, waiting for a rebuke, but when none came, she quickly continued. "As I sat down at the kitchen table, I noticed a man crawling around on her back porch. I approached him with caution, gun drawn, until I realized it was Mr. O'Leary. I holstered my gun, and asked him what was wrong. It was then that he laid down where you now see him, and he started um…"

"Purring?" Audrey's eyebrow shot up, but didn't otherwise change her frustrated facial expression.

"Yes ma'am…um…Detective. Ms. Jackson came up behind me at that point and apologized – said she was the cause. When I asked her to clarify, she told me she was Troubled – that she hated men, because they all act like animals, and so every man she comes in contact with begins behaving like an animal."

"Only men?"

Heather nodded, but nerves started to flare through her body as she watched Audrey close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"And where is Ms. Jackson now?"

Heather's eyes flicked to the ceiling of the room. "She's upstairs. When she saw Mr. O'Leary, she became extremely agitated. I told her that she should probably go lie down until back up arrived."

Audrey sighed. "Thank you Holly. You can go wait outside now."

Heather opened her mouth to correct Audrey on her name, but Audrey had already turned to go upstairs. Of course that's how it would happen. She finally got to work with the legendary Audrey Parker, and she couldn't stop calling her ma'am, and had frustrated Audrey so much, that Audrey sent her to guard the front of the house. Perfect.

Audrey trudged towards the stairs, sighing as she neared the first step. Really? A Trouble that turned men into animals? Did they turn into specific animals based on their personality? Or did they turn into something based on their surroundings? There had been a lot of cats roaming around Ms. Jackson's property, so maybe a cat had been near Mr. O'Leary when Ms. Jackson's affliction had affected him? She glanced out of a window near the stairs and noticed a couple of EMT workers walking towards the house. A couple of male EMT workers. Her heart stopped for a second, before kick starting her and pushing her back towards the front doors.

"Hannah! Make sure that no male officer, EMT worker, anyone come near this house. Do you understand?"

Heather turned at Audrey's voice, wincing when she heard a name other than hers cross Audrey's lips. "Yes ma…Yes sir. Laverne just radioed me to tell me to let you know that Detective Wuornos is on his way."

"No! Radio Laverne back now and tell her to not let Detective Wuornos anywhere near here. I don't even want him in his truck near here. You got that?"

Heather stepped back at the intensity of Audrey's voice. "Yes ma'am!"

Audrey turned back towards the house, and debated calling Nathan herself. Normally she would have, but she knew that he would draw her into a long conversation, and she needed to fix this Trouble now. As she made it to Ms. Jackson's room, Audrey could see her lying on her bed, so rapped a knuckle on the doorframe. "Ms. Jackson, can I speak to you for a minute?"

Jenn Jackson sat up on her bed, and looked embarrassed. "Oh yes, yes, come on in. Please, make yourself comfortable." She gestured towards an office chair on the other side of the room.

Audrey took her cue and sat down. "Ms. Jackson. I'm here because you told the officer you're Troubled?"

Jenn Jackson nodded. "Oh yes. My family always had a history of Troubles. It's a little different for everyone. Mine seems to only affect men. That's why I stick to myself."

"You don't ever go out?"

"Of course! But when the Troubles are back, I'll only go out to a girlfriend's house, and only when I know I won't run into someone I don't expect. My friends deliver groceries for me, and anything else I may need. It's not so bad. I'm really sorry about that man from the cable company."

Audrey scooted the chair closer to the bed, and took Jenn's hands in her own. "It's ok Ms. Jackson, but we really need to make sure that this won't happen again. We've found that an emotional event usually triggers a Trouble. Have you had anything like that happen to you recently?"

Jenn looked down at their joined hands and started crying. "I had a…bad experience with a man when I was young. A few weeks ago, my friend left me a copy of the newspaper from Portland, and I noticed a story about a man who had recently been arrested. It was the same man from my childhood. Reading about him made me remember what happened, and I was so scared."

Audrey rubbed the woman's hands and nodded in understanding. "That sounds like it could be what it was. But, you know that the man can't hurt you anymore, right? If he was arrested, he can't find you. You'll be safe."

Jenn looked up at Audrey and slightly nodded, but Audrey knew that wasn't enough.

"How about this. Why don't I look into this arrest for you, and pull some strings to make sure he stays locked up, far away from you."

Jenn nodded as more tears fell. "I would really appreciate that."

The two women smiled at each other, and Audrey prayed that it would be enough to stop Jenn's Trouble, when a deep male voice interrupted the silence.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Jenn's eyes went wide, and Audrey patted her hand. "It's ok Jenn, you'll be fine now. You can keep your Trouble under control. Just keep in mind that I'm going to keep you safe." When Jenn nodded at her, Audrey stood up and moved to the door. "Mr. O'Leary? I'll be right down."

Audrey looked back at Jenn one last time before turning to deal with a very disconcerted Mike O'Leary. What a day.

As Audrey waved off the EMTs and Haley? Heidi? and took one last look at Jenn Jackson's house, her phone rang, with Nathan's picture lighting up her screen.

"So, was that a real Trouble?"

Audrey grinned at Nathan's voice. "Yup. It was a doozey alright."

"She turned men into animals?" Audrey pulled the phone back from her ear as it sounded like a fight for the phone was suddenly happening, and then Duke's voice came on the line. "Did she turn guys into their spirit animal? I have a bet that Nathan would have been turned into a lap dog…" Audrey grinned as she could hear another fight for the phone, and then Nathan was back on the line. "I'll talk to you later, but come into the station and tell Heather she did a great job, she's terrified of you."

Audrey snorted as the line went dead. Why on earth was Nathan with Duke? And who was Heather?

What other crazy Trouble could this town come up with?

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Audrey wearing the dress from her birthday for Nathan again (Courtesy of Guest)


	17. The Birthday Dress

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **Audrey wearing the dress from her birthday for Nathan again (Courtesy of Guest)

**Summary: **The last time he had seen her in the dress didn't leave the greatest of memories, but this time was much better.

* * *

><p><strong>The Birthday Dress<strong>

Stunning. Absolutely, completely, utterly stunning.

Thousands of adjectives flitted through his mind as he looked up to see Audrey standing in the doorway. Finally, she was here, and she looked amazing.

He always did like that dress on her.

The first time he had seen her in it was at her surprise birthday, which was forever ago now. He could vividly remember seeing her walk in, and it felt like he was watching a movie, where a spotlight was behind the lead actress, giving her an ethereal glow. Time stood still for him, and to this day, he still dreamt of that moment in time. He always pushed aside the moment that dress became imperfect, but was thankful that Audrey had bought another one, because she had liked the original so much.

He had been in such an odd head space at that time. In the span of a day, he had gone from completely giving up hope after losing the one relationship he'd had in forever, to his world exploding upon discovering he could feel Audrey's touch. And suddenly, it was only Audrey.

It was such a simple time then – compared to what they all would go through – and the only strange things were random cracks appearing, and chameleons.

He was so close to losing her then. Thankfully it was the beginning of discovering that Audrey was immune to the Troubles, but they didn't fully understand that then. When he grabbed its face and couldn't feel that warm, soft skin under his palms, he was terrified he would never feel again, not knowing that her immunity had saved her. Even though their relationship hadn't been one where he could reach out and feel her whenever he wanted, it was at least at the point where little moments would always be around the corner.

But that moment their lips touched, and he felt absolutely nothing, his world was crushed.

The moment he found her, found her alive, he vowed he would never lose her again. Admittedly, he lost her a few times since then, but he always got her back.

And now they were here. The worst of the craziness was behind them, and they could be Audrey and Nathan. They could be two people in love.

For some reason, he was so nervous to ask her – he knew she would say yes, but he was still nervous. The police departments in Maine held an awards banquet every year for outstanding service. It was a pretty big deal to be nominated for one of the awards, and somehow his name had come up this year. As a result, he had been invited to the black tie event, and was allowed to bring a plus one. He couldn't think of anyone else he would rather have beside him – regardless of whether he won or lost – but for some reason he was terrified she wouldn't want to go to this. It was kind of a fancy thing – which was neither of their styles – so maybe she wouldn't feel comfortable.

Finally, after what seemed like a thousand attempts to just catch her attention from her files and ask her, she had slapped her palms on her desk and told him to just spit out whatever the hell it was he was trying to say. Her bluntness made him grin and immediately eased some of the tension rolling through his body. Still though, he sighed and blushed, and rubbed the back of his neck and refused to make embarrassed eye contact until he asked her if she would accompany him to the banquet. It felt like he was in high school all over again trying to ask the prettiest girl in the class to the prom. Once he finally stumbled over his words, and sheepishly looked up to see her reaction he instantly knew his nervousness was for naught.

She stood up and crossed the room, putting her palms against his cheeks and told him how proud she was of him, before leaning down for the most amazing, tender, sweet kiss he had ever experienced. Of course she would accompany him. There was no question of that.

But of course today would not go to plan. She was called out on a case, and told him to go on ahead without her. Stan would make sure she got there, but she didn't want him to be late. Reluctantly he went ahead, and during the first few awards and speeches had spent all of his time taking long pulls on his bottles of beer to calm his nerves, and sucking on peppermints in case he had to make small talk with anyone.

And then the door opened, and there she was. In that dress. That dress he dreamt of so many times. The dress from her surprise birthday forever ago.

He was fairly sure a good number of the male attendees shifted their attention to her as her eyes scanned the crowd looking for him. He knew he wouldn't have to wave – they always found each other – and sure enough, her eyes found his and immediately softened. He was the only person in the room to her, and she to him.

He made mental notes of the guys who focused much too closely on her ass as she walked by them – fully prepared to defend her honor if need be later on – and as she came close to him, he stood up, his eyes looking her up and down and appreciating every single line and curve the dress held on her body. Soon, soon he would see that dress on the floor of his bedroom, and see every line and curve in naked glory in his bed.

The beer and peppermints made his head feel light when he stood up, and combined with the attention of some of the other attendees, emboldened him. He reached out to her when she was near, and with one hand on her lower back, and the other entangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head, he brought her in for a searing kiss that was slightly inappropriate for their surroundings. He didn't care though. There was just something about that dress.

She pulled back and leaned her forehead against his, and told him with a slight chuckle in her voice that he tasted like beer and peppermints.

His heart was racing, and he could feel it when she laid her hand over top of it. He took that hand of hers, and pulled it down so they could both sit. He made sure to pull her chair a little closer to his at the table, which enabled her to leave her hand on his upper thigh during the entire ceremony.

His category came and went, and his name wasn't called, but he didn't care. His prize was sitting right beside him. Thankfully she talked for him to those that came up for conversations, because all the beer and peppermints had definitely snuck up on him. The couple of other beers that he drank during the remainder of the dinner also added to his calmness.

When it came time to leave, she took his keys from him so she could safely drive them home. Seeing her standing next to the driver's side door of his Bronco just did something for him, and he pressed her against the truck, sliding his knee between her legs as he captured her face in his hands. He gave silent thanks that he decided to park at the far end of the lot, so that they were alone. All he wanted was his hands on her body, and he wasn't sure he'd make it back home.

Once again, she was the voice of reason in the situation, and even though she was flushed and breathing heavy, she pulled back and promised him that they would do this and much more as soon as they got home.

He sent up a silent wish that they would get home in the span of a heartbeat because he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being with her with that dress still on. Especially when her voice had dropped to that breathy quality that only came out in private.

She made him sit on the far side of the passenger seat because she told him it was hard enough for her to drive the Bronco without his distracting touch.

If she only knew how distracting her touch was.

So he sat and watched her as she drove, the passing headlights illuminating her pale face, allowing him to commit every feature to memory. He was still amazed that this beautiful woman was his. She kept swatting in his direction, telling him to quit staring, but he never would. He never wanted to look at anything else. Nothing else in the world was as beautiful to him as her.

And then finally, finally they were home. He may have jumped out of the truck before she had even fully put it in park. He needed to feel her, needed her under him, surrounding him, so he practically ripped open her door, and pulled her towards him.

"Nathan."

That voice. That voice! He couldn't wait any longer, so he just picked her up, flailing a hand around to close the door. For all he cared in that moment, the door to the truck could be left open all night. As he walked them towards the house, he could feel her skin heating up beneath his touch, and he knew that she was just as desperate as he was.

He had to put her down so that she could unlock his front door, and he took that moment to slide the zipper down on her dress so as soon as they stumbled through the door, he could feel more of her glorious skin. Normally in similar situations, she would just jump up on him, and he'd hold the backs of her thighs as he walked them towards the bedroom – or sofa, or wall, whichever he could make it to in the moment – but her dress was too constricting for that, so he just swept her off her feet again, loving the feel of her arms wrapping around his neck for support, and her fingers raking through his hair as her lips ravaged his.

He made it to the bedroom – but only by the sheer will of fulfilling the fantasy of the night to see that dress on his bedroom floor, and her curves and lines in his bed – and slowly lowered her so her feet could touch the ground. And then hands and lips were everywhere, and when he saw the dress pool on the floor around her bare feet, and she stood before him, he was done.

That dress looked amazing on her, but even better on the floor of his bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Nathan and Audrey as a couple at his high school reunion (Courtesy of Guest C)


	18. Reunion Part Deux

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but I'd say we can assume that anything we've seen so far in the show applies.

**Prompt: **Nathan and Audrey as a couple at his high school reunion (Courtesy of Guest C)

**Summary: **Yet another high school reunion is looming, and this time, both Nathan and Audrey are determined to enjoy it.

* * *

><p><strong>Reunion Part Deux.<strong>

"Nathan, you didn't tell me your high school reunion was this weekend. Are we going?"

Nathan looked up as Audrey walked in their office waving an invitation in her hand. He was really going to have to talk to her about opening his mail.

"We've already been to my high school reunion. We don't need to go again."

Audrey had made it to the front of his desk, and was standing studying the invitation. "Yeah, why is there another reunion? It doesn't even say what reunion it is."

"Just another small town quirk. Sometimes you have several reunions, and they don't even have to fall on a significant time celebration."

Audrey frowned and looked up from the invitation. "So, are we going?"

Nathan leaned back in his chair. "You actually want to go?"

Audrey shrugged. "Sure, why not. We didn't get to really enjoy the last one."

Nathan pondered that statement for a minute. She was right, they hadn't been able to enjoy the last one. There were brief moments of absolute thrill for him – her telling him that if she only had one day left, she wanted to spend it with him, and then of course that dance – but overall there had been a feeling of dread eating at him, so he couldn't fully enjoy any of it.

Now however, that was all behind them, well, the worst of it anyways, and he could attend and enjoy a high school reunion with his girlfriend. Who knows, it could be fun.

Audrey watched as Nathan absently stuck the tip of his tongue between his lips. That was always a sure sign that the gears in his head were whirring quickly. And when that tongue tip disappeared and one corner of his mouth quirked up, she had her answer. They were going.

"Ok, let's go. When is it?"

Audrey scanned the invitation again and irritation fluttered quickly through her body. "Nathan, it's tonight! This is why I read your mail, because you never do. We could have missed it."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. That was as good a reason as any to continue letting Audrey read his mail. One less thing he would have to worry about. He raised his eyebrows in question though when Audrey reached across his desk, wiggling her fingers.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Nathan, your reunion is tonight, and neither of us has decent enough clothes to wear. We need to go shopping."

Nathan sighed. There was nothing worse than going shopping. Even if it was with Audrey. Especially when he knew for a fact that he couldn't at least look forward to watching her try on something that only he would see her in.

Audrey wiggled her fingers again, gesturing him to stand up. "Come on. And as a treat, you can pick out something for me to wear later on tonight." When Nathan flushed a deep red, Audrey knew that she would have his attention all afternoon while shopping.

* * *

><p>As Audrey pinned his badge on his shirt, Nathan looked skywards and blew out a breath of frustration. Of course their name badges had to be pictures from their high school year book. She had of course already seen said picture, and had already made fun of him for it, but it didn't make it any less mortifying. At least she had to wear one as well so that people knew she was with him – as if there would be any question, because she was not leaving his side this entire evening.<p>

There was something to be said about being one of the geeks in high school, but then showing up with the most beautiful woman on the planet. He and Audrey definitely had the attention of several males and females in attendance.

They were, of course, late, because Nathan had gotten thoroughly distracted by what he picked out for Audrey to wear later tonight, and therefore it was already on their bedroom floor. Clearly he was not the one in control of this relationship – he was putty in her hands.

So, by being late, most of the attendees were already several glasses into the spiked punch, and were out on the dance floor. Nathan shot a side eye glance Audrey's way, worried she was going to drag him out there, but felt slightly relieved when he saw her waving to someone. He followed her gaze, and could see Robert and a slimmed down Jeanine happily waving at he and Audrey. Nathan held up a hand in friendly greeting, and smiled at the couple. It always felt good to see people he and Audrey had helped, and how well they were doing after their Troubles were cured. He kept his other hand on Audrey's lower back, and guided her to the drink table where he reluctantly let her go so that he could pour each of them a drink.

They stood close to each other sipping their drinks, eyes scanning the dance floor. Always on alert for potential trouble. When people would come over to talk to Nathan, he would wrap his arm around Audrey's waist, pulling her close. He loved how small she was, so she fit perfectly against his body. His mind started to wander to how her body had fit against his just a few hours ago, and he knew without a doubt that his face was flushing. The spiked punch was definitely not helping either.

Finally, John Bishop ended the story he was telling Audrey of how Nathan would always fall down the stairs of the school because he couldn't get used to his growing limbs. Thankfully, after laughing politely at John's story, Audrey had twisted slightly in Nathan's arms, and laid a hand on his chest, telling John that Nathan definitely had control of his limbs now. She said goodbye to him, and Nathan was about to steer her towards one of the tables to sit when the song changed.

It was THE song.

Audrey stepped away from Nathan's embrace and held out her hand. "Dance with me." She watched as Nathan's eyes began to darken, and as he stepped closer and whispered in her ear, she gasped.

"Always."

She pulled back slightly and felt that familiar rush of desire pool in the pit of her stomach.

Nathan took her hand in his, and led her out onto the dance floor, never letting his eyes stray from hers. He put his hand on her lower back, the other holding her hand in the air, and pulled her close. Much like their dance to this song the last time, their faces were breaths apart, eyes alternating between staring into each other's eyes and staring at each other's lips. The electricity between them was palpable, and the other couples on the floor couldn't help but glance in the direction of the former member of the A/V club, and his blonde date. More than a few females swatted at their companions and asked why they didn't look at them like that.

Very quickly the distance between them was too much, and Nathan leaned in to rest his lips on Audrey's. He could feel a ripple of desire flutter through her body, and his did the same when he felt her fingers leave his shoulder to travel up to tangle in his hair.

As the song ended, they pulled their lips from each other, leaning their foreheads together as they worked to catch their breath. Audrey was able to speak first, but had to audibly swallow before any words could escape. "While our other dance is always a highlight in my memory, I have to say, this one was better."

Nathan licked his lips and nodded. "I agree." After a few more minutes, Nathan was able to collect himself enough to realize the two of them had been slowly swaying to another slow song that was playing, and pulled back to look at Audrey in the eye. "Did you want to sit down for a couple of minutes?"

Audrey nodded, and let Nathan lead her off the dance floor to a table where he pulled two chairs side by side so they could sit close together. She kicked off her shoes, and curled her legs up on the chair as she leaned into Nathan's side, snuggling closer as he wrapped his arm around her.

There was always a fire between the two of them - that she knew - but out on that dance floor it felt like it had burned as an inferno. This place, that song – soon after this original moment was when they found out they were parents together to a child. They were at such a precipice in their relationship at that point, and now they were fully soaring together.

She was glad they were able to make it to this reunion – it had built such wonderful memories for her, and she was sure him as well – and she was looking forward to attending many more high school reunions with this man who was holding her close.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> a story about the notes on the fridge Audrey leaves for Nathan (based on the picture Lucas tweeted a while back) (Courtesy of Guest C)


	19. Notes

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

**Author's Notes: **This is all A/U, but since this stemmed from a tweet during filming, we're solidly in Season 5B territory here - even if this happens to be my version of 5B.

**Prompt: **a story about the notes on the fridge Audrey leaves for Nathan (based on the picture Lucas tweeted a while back) (Courtesy of Guest C)

**Summary: **With the increase in Troubles, Audrey and Nathan aren't able to spend a lot of time with each other, so notes will have to do.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

_Stop_

_Do you need a coat?_

_Under 50_

_it's chilly!_

Nathan had to smile at the latest note Audrey left him. This one was taped so well to the fridge, it would take an engineer to get it off. After the last time he had shown up at work without a jacket and she admonished him for ignoring her note (which they later found to have fallen off and floated under the fridge) she had taken to taping all notes up for him.

He never would have guessed how much it would make his heart melt to read stupid notes like those all the time. But, leave it to Audrey to bring it out in him.

So here he was, always secretly excited to find a note Audrey had left him.

Because of the influx of Troubles, the two of them rarely saw each other during the day. They had become passing ships in the night – she already in bed asleep by the time he got home, and he dead to the world when she got up early to fight the good fight. Even though they were partners, they each were the two best officers in town to deal with the Troubles, so teaming up had been deemed a strain on resources. Instead, they would go out on their own, so that they could double up on the amount of people they could help throughout the day.

At night, they would curl into each other, too tired to do anything but sleep.

But because they were now Audrey and Nathan, Audrey made sure to stay as close to him as possible, even if they rarely saw each other, and she had begun doing so by leaving him the notes. Sure, she could have texted him, and sometimes she did, but often, the note went further, and wouldn't distract him while he was in the field, or passed out in sleep.

Dutifully, he pulled on a coat, and stepped out into the cold morning air. She wasn't exaggerating when she said it was chilly – he could see his breath hanging in the air, so he was thankful for her note.

He nodded at a few officers in the station as he walked back towards his office, and couldn't help but notice the look of fatigue they all wore. It was such a common look for all of them to hold lately. Each night he went to bed, he would study Audrey's face, and he could see the deep purple stains under her eyes from lack of sleep, and the worry lines etched into her face. Even in sleep she couldn't escape the horror that had become Haven. He would pull her close, and nuzzle her hair, and could sometimes feel her relax a little in his arms. He only hoped that he was able to provide a small amount of the relief for her that she provided to him.

After hanging his coat on the coat rack and biting back the pang of disappointment that Audrey wasn't sitting at her desk – he was itching for the taste of her lips, regardless of how chaste it would have to be in the office – he turned towards his desk and saw a big mug of coffee sitting in the middle of his blotter. Steam was still rising out of it, and now that he concentrated, he could definitely still smell her perfume lingering in the air. He had just missed her.

He walked over to his desk, and sure enough, right by the cup was a note.

_Stop_

_What time is it right now?_

_I left this for you at 11:15. It needs at least 7 minutes to cool._

_don't burn that tongue! You'll need it later tonight._

Nathan quickly glanced up at the door to make sure no one was standing there, because he knew he was blushing at Audrey's note. He neatly folded it and put it in his pocket, because while Audrey may have been trusting that no one would read things on his desk, he wasn't as trusting, and would rather keep the personal aspects of his and Audrey's relationship just that – personal.

* * *

><p>When he dragged himself into his office, Nathan could barely keep his eyes open. While he couldn't feel the fatigue, it was there in the heavy steps he was taking. A lack of food probably also had something to do with it. He collapsed in his chair, blowing out a breath as he leaned back to close his eyes for a moment. As he was leaning back though, he noticed a note sitting on his desk, which made him lurch forward to read.<p>

_you didn't wear your coat out. _

_Did you forget it's chilly?_

_I bought you lunch/dinner anyways. It's in the fridge._

_eat._

Nathan grinned, and felt slightly guilty about not wearing his coat, which was still hanging on the coat rack where he had left it earlier this morning. But the audible growl from his stomach had him standing up and moving towards the break room to retrieve his lunch. He opened the fridge and pulled out the white bag that had his name scrawled on the front in Audrey's writing. Upon opening it, he found a sandwich, potato salad, and another note.

_Make sure to wake me up when you get home tonight._

Home. It was still so new her calling his house home that it warmed his heart, and gave him a little boost of energy to help him get through the rest of the day. The note also helped. She was planning something, and he was more than looking forward to seeing what it was.

With a smile on his face, and a new pep in his step, Nathan returned to his office to eat his lunch/dinner, and hope upon hope that he could get home at a reasonable time.

* * *

><p>He couldn't feel it, but he was exhausted. And by the simple fact that it was 3am, Nathan was more than ready to climb into bed, and hug the warmth that is Audrey to his chest. He had barely been able to finish his sandwich before he had been called out on yet another case, which had then turned into another. They needed to figure out a way to stop these Troubles sooner, rather than later, because he and Audrey – not to mention, the rest of the police force - were not going to be able to keep up these schedules too much longer. It had only been a couple of weeks, but felt like a lifetime.<p>

In the back of his mind, Nathan knew that Audrey wanted him to wake her up when he got home, but he still tried to be a quiet as possible as he unlocked the door, made his way in, and took off his coat and boots. He padded through the house to the kitchen where he pulled a beer from the fridge. As tired as he was, he needed a moment to decompress, so he leaned against the kitchen countertop as he let out a sigh before taking a long pull on his bottle.

He noticed that Audrey had brought in the mail, so he flipped through the few envelopes and flyers. A few bills were tucked in the pile, so he moved those aside so he wouldn't forget to pay them. He moved through the house to make sure everything was locked up, and went back to the kitchen to put down his now empty bottle.

The day was finally over, and he was now ready to see his girlfriend, so Nathan moved towards his bedroom and stopped when he saw a note taped to the bedroom door.

_Neither one of us have to be at the station until 5pm._

_Wake me up. _

_We're spending tonight together._

A slow smile spread across Nathan's face as he pushed open the door to the bedroom. Audrey definitely had something fun planned for the two of them. He loved his notes.

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Nathan and Sarah's moments on Sarah's perspective. (Courtesy of Doks)


	20. It was only ever Nathan

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes. Also, since this takes place during a specific episode, 90% of the dialogue found in here is 100% from the amazing minds of the Zuckerman sisters (who I really hope I can shadow one day).

**Author's Notes: **This is kind of a mix of A/U and canon, and is set firmly during the episode _Sarah. _I pulled a scene from _Thanks for the Memories _as well.

This one ended up being WAY longer than all of my other drabbles, so this is firmly in one-shot territory, but _Sarah _is my favorite episode ever, so I couldn't help myself.

**Prompt: **Nathan and Sarah's moments on Sarah's perspective. (Courtesy of Doks)

**Summary: **A strange man turns up in Sarah's life, and promptly turns it upside down.

* * *

><p><strong>It was only ever Nathan.<strong>

_I'll just check in on Stewart one more time, and then I should get something to eat._ I check my watch to see the time as I round the corner to Stewart's room, and as I enter the room, I pull up when I see a strange man standing in the room. Immediately I'm annoyed and move right towards him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Who are you?"

I quickly look him up and down, and am immediately drawn to his pale blue eyes. There's something about those eyes that immediately calls to me, but he's not supposed to be here. As soon as he sees me, he takes off his hat and looks at me like I've never been looked at before. If I wasn't so irritated, I might be flattered. But I am irritated, so I wait for his response to my question, my irritation gathering as he huffs out a breath like he can't form the right words. He looks nervous, and runs a hand through his hair, looking away slightly before looking back at me. His actions throw me a little.

"I'm uh, a friend."

_Yeah, right._

"Wrong answer. Let me help you find your way out." I grin mischievously at the strange man before I find myself reaching up to grab his ear, pulling him towards the door. His cries of pain make me feel better about my impulsive reaction to him. My mother always told me my temper got the better of me, and it would prevent me from finding a man.

I keep talking as I drag the man through the hospital and out the front door. "My patient has made more progress in the last two weeks than he has in a year. He's very fragile, and if you've done anything to damage him, I swear…."

I finally release the strange man's ear and regard him as he stumbles away from me.

"…I will throttle you."

My irritation quickly starts to subside however as I notice how the man is looking at me. It's so…intimate. Like he knows me. It throws me a little off balance.

"Why are you looking at me that way?"

He shakes his head and looks away again, like he's nervous. "I'm sorry. You just…"

"I'm what?" Other than completely curious…

"It's kind of incredible."

_Oh my. _My insides feel like they're liquefying with the way this man is looking at me. I suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious and can't keep looking into those blue eyes. If I do, I feel like my legs won't be able to hold me up any longer. Those eyes just seem like they're looking into my soul, like he knows every part of me – or wishes he did. He's so shy, and flustered. I quickly look back at him though, because there's just something about those eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll leave."

Wait, he's going? He can't go. He just said I was incredible, and I'm suddenly emboldened by this strange feeling of familiarity that washes over me. I can't let him go.

"You can't call a girl incredible, and just walk away."

I'm grinning like a school girl when he turns back to me, and suddenly I feel like I have him wrapped around my finger, so I step closer to him.

"Explain yourself." He grins back at me and I look him up and down, admiring his physique. He really is quite handsome.

"I guess I do have some explaining to do."

Instantly, I want nothing more than to be with this man, and I don't even know his name! I stretch my hand out towards him, and look into those blue eyes once again. "I'm Sarah."

He takes my hand in his, and I feel a jolt of delicious electricity shoot through my veins. Oh, what this man does to me!

"Nathan."

I tilt my head and grin, masking the slight shock I feel as he pulls his hand from mine, and I instantly feel slightly hollow with the loss of contact. "Well Nathan, my lunch break is nearly here. Are you free to join me?"

I see his tongue dart out and moisten his lips, and while this may not be the first man I've ever felt a connection with, the one I feel with him is so intense, it makes me nervous, especially since all I want to do is moisten those lips of his with my own tongue. I shake my head to loosen where my thoughts are going, anxious for his reply.

"I would love to."

I feel like my whole world has lightened. How can this man make me feel like this?

"Wait for me here. I'll be out in 20 minutes."

He nods, and I look him up and down one more time before turning and climbing the stairs to the hospital.

* * *

><p>As soon as we climb into my coworker's car, he mentions that we should stop for some beers, and go sit on the beach. I haven't been there before, so why not? And it's such a wonderful day out today. I've overheard some of the nurses talking that it's always raining in Haven, but with weather like today, I can't believe them. And thankfully, I had one of my best dresses at the hospital, so I'm feeling fantastic. I still can't place why, but I just want to look my best for this man. And, with the way his eyes lit up when he saw me descending the stairs, I think the dress was the perfect choice.<p>

He's such a gentleman as we walk to the beach – carrying the six pack we bought, and a blanket for us to sit on. Every fiber in my being wants to reach out and hold his hand, but thankfully both of his hands are full, so I can't act on that instinct right now.

Before I know it, we're each two beers deep. I find my tongue loose, and I'm already starting to brag. Another thing my mother always warned me about. I shouldn't brag so much. It's not becoming for a young lady.

"The first time you're in a war zone, they say you either panic, or you just…focus. Know what to do. I knew what to do. I was better than the doctors sometimes." I take another sip of my beer.

"Well, that's what you do, right? Handle situations? Help people?"

"In a way."

I find myself toying with my sweater. He seems to just get me - knows I can handle myself, and he's ok with it. Not intimidated like other men I've met, and it makes me grin like a schoolgirl. I'm feeling flushed by his stare, and I pull the sweater off my shoulders so I can feel the cool breeze that's blowing.

"I work with the vets in DC."

"You don't live in Haven?"

He seems so surprised that I don't live in this small town, and I laugh at his assumption. Do I seem that much like a local? "No, I just got here." And then I find myself drowning in those blue eyes again, and I have to look away, turning my face to the warmth of the sun.

"I just came to make Stewart comfortable. He's a unique case. My supervisor says I'm good with the strange ones."

"Well, Haven is a strange place. You don't need to be afraid of what you can't explain."

I watch as Nathan starts to grow serious as he talks about Haven, so I shift so that I'm better facing him. "Well that is good advice in any corner of the world."

"So you don't…you don't know anyone here? You don't know any Crocker?"

He's grown so serious, and I can feel that heaviness settling in on me as well and I find myself studying his hand that's resting on the blanket. All I want to do is touch it, so I do. I rub my fingers along his, and am honest with him.

"You're my first friend."

I look back into those glorious eyes, and when I do, the look he gives me has butterflies dancing joyously deep in my core.

"I am?"

He seems so incredulous that I want to continue touching him. I lean closer and trace my finger along his hairline and jawline. I study his lips and eyes, and have this feeling that there's something different about him.

"There's something different about you." I just can't stop touching him! It's as though there's this otherworldly connection between us, and I continue to stroke my hand along the stubble on his cheek. I can feel a spark between us, and a desire pooling between my legs. He seems to melt into my touch, like he hasn't been touched in years. He makes me so happy, and I shift my position yet again so I'm even closer to him. I want to tell him everything, but we have time. And I think of something I learned recently.

"You know what I learned on the front? That things could end at any minute. You have to take advantage of the time that you have. Do you believe that?" I can't stop my fingers running through his hair, and trailing down his face. I just need to keep touching this man.

He nods. "Yeah."

"So here I am, on this beautiful beach, with a handsome guy, and all I can think of is, we have time."

We stare into each other's eyes, and our foreheads rest against one another. We're so close to each other's lips, and all I want is his on mine. But then something changes. I can sense it before he apologizes, and then he's turning away.

"I'm sorry. I should go."

He's leaving, and I can't even look at him as he gathers his clothes and walks away. I look out to the water.

"Why do I always go for the shy ones?"

I shake and lower my head. I can't believe how soul crushing it feels for this man I barely know to be walking away from me. But I force myself to lift my head. As much as it hurts to watch him walk away, I want to see him one last time, and it stuns me to see he's stopped and is looking at me. He grins a knowing grin, and I answer it with one of my own. And then he's back, and holding my head in his hands as he pulls me to those glorious lips. And we're kissing, and I'm in heaven. I feel like I'm home - that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I feel like I'm with the man that I'll be with for the rest of my life, and the feeling is intoxicating. Our tongues are dancing, and my heart is racing. I pull back, fighting to get my breathing under control, but unable to open my eyes. "Not here." I open my eyes to see those pale blue beacons boring into my soul, and feel his arms close around me as he sweeps me up into those arms. I clasp my hands around his neck, and hold myself close as he walks us back to the car.

He lowers me to my feet, and opens the driver's door for me before rounding the car to climb in the passenger seat. He's such a gentleman. So many men would automatically drive, even though it's not their car, but not Nathan. Nathan knows I can handle myself. Before I put the keys in the ignition, my belly curls in anticipation of what's going to happen next. I don't even care where we go, just as long as we're together. I want this man with every fiber of my being, and I feel like I'll never get enough of him. I look over at him, and those pale blue eyes are suddenly dark with desire. And in that moment, I know he's feeling what I'm feeling. Before I know it, I slide next to him and my hands tangle in his hair, and his lips are on mine again. My heart feels as though it's going to explode, and all I want is him, and every piece of him. I want to feel his naked skin against mine, and I don't even care that we're out in the open. That almost makes it more exciting. Thankfully I've at least parked the car in the trees, so it's secluded. I reach down to push his shirt off his shoulders, because all I want is to feel his skin heat up under mine, and I flush as I feel him pushing my dress down. Then, he's leaning me back on the bench seat, and all coherent thoughts escape me.

* * *

><p>What an incredible afternoon. I feel alive, and only slightly guilty that I took a much longer lunch break than I should have, and even drank while on it! Nathan just makes me feel like I can do anything.<p>

My afternoon shift seems to be going on forever, but it's just because I can't get Nathan out of my mind. I decide to distract myself by taking Stewart out for a walk in the fresh air, but I find myself driven to help him deal with the grief of being left by his platoon. Nathan's statement that I help people just won't leave my mind, and I find myself doing just that. And as I continue talking, more of Nathan's words come to mind, and I know that Stewart will be just as comforted by them as I am.

"Stewart, someone told me, you don't need to be afraid of what you can't explain."

I look into his eyes, and can see that I was right, he was as comforted by those words as I am.

We head back towards the hospital, and I revel in how well Stewart is doing today. Maybe my mood is infectious, because he seems to be perking up before my very eyes. Love has a way of doing that I guess, and suddenly, I'm hearing my name come from the man I love.

"Sarah."

My heart speeds up in excitement – he's here!

"What are you doing here?" I instantly look around to see if anyone is watching, because with the way I'm feeling right now, as soon as I get Stewart into his room, I'm going to pull Nathan into a spare room and repeat this afternoon. His words however break through my reverie, and I instantly feel a pit of worry gnawing at my stomach.

"I don't understand."

"There's a man coming to kill you."

"Why would he want to kill me?"

"There are people here that think you're a threat."

_What?_ I look around, instantly suspicious of everyone in the hospital except for the man standing in front of me, clasping my upper arms like I'll break if he lets go.

"It's hard to explain, but I'm from Haven. I know this place, and in a way, I know you too. Just, look at me. You have the strongest intuition of anybody I've ever met. And you may not know why, but you trust me."

I search his eyes for some hidden agenda, but deep down I know there isn't one. He's right, I do trust him. Completely. He owns me body and soul, and I will do anything this man says.

"I do. I trust you." Even as I say the words I can't really believe that I trust this man I met only a few short hours ago so completely.

"Sarah, you need to run."

His sincerity scares me, and all I want to do is run. Run with him. Far away from here. Far away from whoever he thinks wants to kill me. But I can't. I have a duty to help people. A duty to help Stewart.

"I can't. I can't leave Stewart."

"I'll guard him with my life. Take this. Go through the basement. There's a man named Duke waiting for you. He has long hair, but you can trust him. Just take whatever car you can and don't stop driving until you hear a man named Roy Crocker is dead. You understand?"

As he's talking, Nathan is pushing a gun into my hands. I've held one before, but the cold, slick feel of metal always makes me feel uneasy. I look into his eyes, and he looks terrified for me – like me dying would destroy him.

"Yes." I nod, and let him turn me around towards the basement of the hospital. I immediately walk away, my heart in my throat, because on some deep level I can't understand, I know implicitly he wants me out of harm's way as soon as possible. But I stop, because I can't leave this man. I can't just walk away from this man that has turned my world upside down in the course of an afternoon. I can't walk away from the best thing I can remember without doing something for some kind of closure. No longer do I feel like we have all the time in the world. I think back to what I learned on the front - that things could end at any minute. You have to take advantage of the time that you have. I have to take advantage of this time we have, so I turn back and pull him towards me and we join for a kiss that is so passionate and intimate that I lose myself in the moment. I don't care who sees us. I feel like I'll never see him again. I reluctantly pull away, and run my fingers along the brim of his fedora, willing myself not to cry.

"That's in case I never see you again."

"You will.

He looks at me with such conviction that I almost believe him, and with that propelling me, I turn and walk away.

I race down the stairs and a man calls my name and starts waving me towards him. It must be Duke, and since I trust Nathan, I immediately trust Duke, and run towards him. But before I get to him, another man jumps in between us, pointing a gun at Duke. This has to be Roy. My heart is in my throat, and I'm afraid, so afraid, but instinct starts to take over. I'm back on the battlefield.

"Sarah Vernon?"

"You must be Roy."

And then, we're in a standoff. My heart is threatening to leap out of my chest, but I know what I must do. I must survive. He looks hollow, like he's had to kill before, which means he isn't afraid to kill now. Duke tries to get Roy to put the gun down – pleads with him – but I know deep down that Roy is on a mission, and nothing will stop him, except death, and I must make sure it is not my death that stops him.

"It's nothing personal sweetheart. Just simple self-preservation."

"Women's Army Core. I know about self-preservation too. I've seen what killing does to a man. It makes you hollow."

I'm vaguely aware of Duke pleading again, but I concentrate on the man standing in front of me. I listen as Roy agrees to put down his gun if I put down mine, but something's not right. There's no way he would acquiesce this quickly and easily. But maybe, maybe since Duke is a friend of Nathan's, he can convince Roy to do something he wouldn't normally do.

"We'll do it together." As I watch Roy nod his head, and start to turn his gun away from his hand, I mirror his actions. Maybe this really is going to work. My head feels light from the adrenaline coursing through my veins, and I know that if I make it out of this alive, I'm going to sleep like I've never slept before. I start to squat, and feel hope surging through me as Roy mirrors my actions, and feel a breath leave me as I watch his gun leave his hand. My gut is screaming at me though. Something is wrong. This isn't over, and in the fraction of a section, I see Roy reach behind his back, and I'm already pressing the trigger of my gun as Duke rushes towards him. The gun recoils in my hand, and I see the knife Roy was going to throw at me fly helplessly through the air as the bullet from my gun drives him back. Panic bubbles up through me, and suddenly I can't breathe. I'm gasping for air, helpless as Duke rushes towards Roy. I've never killed before. I help people, not hurt them. I stand up, needing to do something so I don't faint, and as realization hits me as to what I've done, I have to lean against the storage rack as Duke sits near Roy.

As I help Stewart in to bed, I listen to Duke and Nathan talk quietly outside the door. When I hear Duke leave, I walk out to Nathan. I'm feeling troubled, and hand him back his gun.

I have to tell him my inner torment, and suddenly I'm angry. "I killed that man. I save people, I don't hurt them, but I killed that man."

"You didn't have a choice. He was going to kill you."

"Why? What did I ever do to him? I just got here. But you knew it was going to happen. I want answers, and I want them now." My blood is boiling. Nathan knows something, and he isn't telling me, and it's infuriating.

"There are these people in Haven. Some call them cursed. We call them…I call them Troubled. I'm one of them. So is Stewart. You…you can help. You are important…special."

The way he's looking at me breaks through all of my anger. He's looking at me as if he knows more about me than I know about myself, and it peaks my curiosity.

"And who are you?"

"I really am from Haven. I just didn't say when."

_What?_

"The longer I stay here, my Haven is getting worse. I really need your help."

He looks at me with those eyes, and I'm done. I'll do anything for this man. I just can't explain it. Of course I'll help him.

* * *

><p>I'm reeling from Nathan's admittance of being from the future. He refuses to tell me when exactly, because he doesn't want to influence my life he says. But, deep down I know that he's from a time where I don't exist, because of how he first reacted when he saw me – like he knew me, but I was different than what he was used to. Maybe I have a daughter or granddaughter that looks like me? And maybe that's who he knows.<p>

I shake my head as I tend to Stewart. Nathan has told me that Stewart and I must talk, and that can only happen if he isn't sedated.

"His sedation is wearing off. How do I help someone…Troubled? Exactly?" I have a few minutes as the sedation wears off, and I'm desperate for information.

"You try to reach them. Figure out how their Trouble works."

"And what happened when he sent you here?"

"He looked scared. Like he remembered me from…now."

"Which is why you landed in 1955."

"You mentioned his lost platoon. Maybe he sent them to a future where the war was over. To what he thought was a better place or time. Maybe he could do the same for us."

"But how can I convince him there even is a future? This is a man who lives each moment terrified that he's going to die."

Nathan pulls something out of his inside jacket pocket and looks at it. "Maybe if he knows that he lives to be an old man, he can visualize that."

I look at the photograph that Nathan hands me, and I study it closely. There's Stewart, standing with either his son or daughter, and their two kids. He's an old man, and clearly happy with his life. As I look at it, I realize that he has to be close to 60 years older than he is now, and I know that this is when Nathan is from. About 60 years from now. This means I'll never see him again if this works, and my heart begins to crumble. I tear my gaze away from the photo and look into Nathan's eyes. Those impossibly blue eyes, and all I want to do is touch him, so I grab his hand, because I'll need his touch for strength as I speak.

"If this works, it's goodbye, isn't it."

"I belong somewhere else."

I want to cry, but I can't. All I can do is take advantage of the time we have, and lean in to kiss him. As I pull back, I pout.

"I don't want to do this alone." Maybe I can convince him to stay if I pout.

The sound of Duke's voice pulls me from the world of only Nathan and I, and I listen as he tells me about Dave and Vince. I'll have to find them. Tomorrow. I can't think of them now.

I walk to Stewart, pulling my hand from Nathan's, and feel him trying to hold on, but I feel a sense of purpose. I sit down on the bed next to Stewart.

"Stewart, you don't have to be afraid." I hand over the photograph. "This is you. You grow to be an old man, surrounded by family and loved ones. Look. See? This is your garden."

"That's me? How?"

"Just, imagine it. These two men are there with you and they need your help to get home. Think of your future. Think of how happy you'll be."

We look at the photograph together, and I can feel the elation radiating out of him. Stuart leans in to hug me, and I know that I've helped him. I can feel all of the tension flowing away from his body. When he pulls away, all I want to do is share this moment with Nathan, so I turn back to him, but he's gone. My heart breaks, so I turn back to Stuart and sit hugging him until we are both exhausted.

* * *

><p>"Hello Captain, I made it to Maine. No, I like it here. It's hard to explain, but I think that I could do a lot of good in Haven."<p>

"If you're asking me if you could stay, I think it's a great idea, Sarah."

"Thank you, sir." I hang up the phone and let out a breath as I smile. Today has been a whirlwind, but I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

* * *

><p>I rest my hand over my growing belly as I look out over the water that's lapping at my feet on the beach. It was such a shock to learn that I was pregnant, and has proven difficult to explain why a single woman such as myself ended up as such. But I don't care what everyone has to say, because I'm elated that I'm pregnant. It's Nathan's baby of course, and so I will forever be able to hold a piece of the man that I loved.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Upcoming Prompt:<strong> Audrey and Nathan celebrate their first holiday as husband and wife. (Courtesy of STforRK)


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